Count Bleck's Home for Troubled Children
by MagicQuill42
Summary: The Count had never intended to become a parent, especially after his fiance disappeared. But on top of unexpectedly becoming a foster parent, he also finds himself adopting four children. Whoops. Foster home AU. Rated T for mentions of abuse. After fourth chapter will be collection of one-shots. Prompts welcome and hoped for. Cover image courtesy of Azalea's Dolls
1. Chapter 1 Finders Keepers

Count Bluemiere Bleck had never intended to become a parent. It had snuck up on him. Well, perhaps that was not entirely true. He had thought about it, but in the way everyone thinks about it. As if it was a far off possibility, an attainable dream. A dream that was shattered after the death of his fiancé.

Despite his intentions, though, it seemed he was destined to be a father.

It had all started out innocently enough. He had been walking through town with Nastasia, headed to a meeting or something along those lines, when he heard sniffling sounds coming out of an alley. Turning around, he saw a young girl stuffed inside a cardboard box, quietly crying her eyes out.

He approached the girl softly, ignoring his secretary's protests. "Excuse Count Bleck, but are you alright miss?"

The girl's head snapped up, fear evident in her dark brown eyes. Her blonde hair was filthy, and her dress was in tatters. It was evident she had been without shelter for a good long while now.

The Count kneeled down next to her, making sure to sweep his cloak out of the way. Nastasia hated having to go to the tailor's.

"Are you alright miss?" He asked.

Slowly, the small girl shook her head. "M-my sisters are all gone. I tried dancing like they do, but I couldn't do it. Nobody would toss m-me even a penny. I thought I could be okay on m-my own, I promised I would be! But I-I just can't!"

She burst into tears again, these much louder. Bluemiere felt his heart melt. There was no way he could just leave her here. He beckoned to Nastasia.

"Cancel all of Count Bleck's appointments for the rest of the day." He told her.

Nastasia didn't say anything, which was probably some form of protest, but he heard her pencil scratching, which was all he really needed.

Focusing back on the young girl, he decided then and there that he would do anything he could to make sure she was alright.

"What is your name, little one?" He asked.

She raised her head again. "M-Mimi. M-my sisters called m-me m-Mimi."

He smiled in a way that he hoped was reassuring. "Well, Mimi. Why don't you come with Count Bleck? We can get you cleaned up and give you some food to eat. How does that sound?"

The girl blinked at him several times before leaping into his arms. Her tears continued flowing, but now he was a bit less sure what emotion they were communicating.

He scooped the small girl into his arms and started back for his mansion.

{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{

"What do you mean it is not that easy?" Bluemeire shouted into the receiver. "Just give the paperwork to Count Bleck!"

"I'm sorry sir," The woman on the other end apologized. "But there are some reasons why I can't do that."

"And what are those?" the Count growled.

"Well for starters it's against the law." The woman told him, sounding rather non-plussed.

Bluemeire dragged his hand down his face. "Of course it is."

He had been trying for days to get his hands on some adoption papers. He had taken initially tried to take Mimi to the nearby orphanage, but the seven year old had flat out refused to leave him. Not only that, but one look at the condition the small building was in and the Count himself refused to leave her there.

So now, here he was, trying to get the paper work to adopt a child he scarcely knew. It was ridiculous, really. Nastasia had already told him he wasn't thinking this through, and she was right. However, something deep inside him absolutely refused to let this poor girl go on suffering. And if that meant she would have to be taken in under his wing and live under his roof, so be it.

"There is one possibility, though." Bluemeire straitened. "You could become one of our listed foster parents. After we go about this properly, I can give you the paperwork and you can adopt her. Assuming, of course, that you are capable-"

"Yes, yes. Count Bleck is more than capable of such things." He mused on the idea for a while. "Exactly how does one become a foster parent?"

 ** _Not a lot to say here, but this chapter is actually probably my least favorite of the four introductory chapters. I wanted to give Mimi some backstory, but also show how much of a softie Bleck really is. Not sure if I really did a good job on that. The other chapters will be a lot longer, promise._**

 ** _((In case it isn't clear, Mimi and her sisters were street dancers. Her sisters didn't leave her, though. They...um... I killed them off. -_-; ))_**

 ** _Also, I'm pretty sure this is_ not _how the adoption system works, so don't quote me on any of this._**


	2. Chapter 2 Growing in Heart

"And now we do your hair!" Mimi grabbed her brush and roughly dragged it through O'Chunks red hair.

Bluemeire had to hand it to the eleven-year-old, he had an incredible amount of patience. Not many children could put up with the Count's recently adopted daughter. Especially if she was in the mood for dress-up.

Mimi had put the red-head in a purple, polka-dotted dress, dusted his face with her entire case of makeup, and now she was trying to wrangle his hair into what looked like a double bun on the top of his head.

"There. Now you are pretty." The young girl declared.

O' Chunks stood from his place on the ground. He looked in the mirror and even did a small twirl so he could see the back of it.

"Ah donna 'f goes w'th mah 'air, 'ut th' dress 's 'ery nice." He decided.

"Nastasia?" The Count whispered to his secretary. "Would you mind getting a photo of this?"

A light flashed before Nastasia whispered back. "K, all done, sir. I also got those papers you asked for earlier."

Bluemeire smiled to himself. He really was turning into a sucker for small children.

{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{

 ** _((This is a warning. Mentions of heavy abuse and murder. This is as dark as I'm getting here folks. Buckle up.))_**

 _Two years earlier…_

 _Darby O'Shill stood protectively in front of his younger sister's crib, ready to fight whoever came close to her. Their father had come home a few hours ago, along with three of his friends and a whole lot of beer._

 _As of yet, they hadn't strayed from the dining room, but Darby knew it was only a matter of time. Especially in his father's case. He'd never hurt little Emmy before, choosing to beat the brains out of his idiot son instead, but it was always better to be safe than sorry._

 _Sure enough, he heard heavy footsteps heading towards the bathroom. Darby tensed. A shaggy haired man stumbled in, scarcely opening the door before he staggered through. He looked bleary at the six-year-old in front of him._

 _A heartbeat of time passed, then the man's eyes became inflamed with an unknown fury. ""Ow Dare ye?!" He shouted in a thick Scottish accent. "Ah 'ome in to use th' 'ot, 'an there ye are, ye we devil!"_

 _The man slapped Darby smartly across cheek. It burned, but he'd learn to take it._

 _"What th' bloody 'ell are ye doing in 'here?" The man asked, slapping him again. "Wha' th' 'ell are either 'ne of ye doing 'ere? 'Ow 'ome yere 'ere an not 'er?!"_

 _The blows had started. Darby willed his mind to be somewhere else. He glanced at his sister. 'Please.' He begged some unseen force. 'Please don't let her get hurt.'_

 _{{{{{{{{{{{{_

 _The news the next morning told the story of a Scottish immigrant murdering his one year old daughter before committing suicide. How his son had been found nearby her corpse, unconscious and beaten nearly to death himself._

 _The therapist told Darby O'Shill that his memory was lost due to repression. That the memory was so traumatic that his brain simply couldn't handle it and so it switched off the memory._

 _Darby didn't care about any of that, really. All he knew was that he'd failed in the one mission he'd ever assigned himself. And now, he was alone._

 _He was put into the system. No one wanted him. He talked funny and didn't know always know how to control his strength. The adults didn't know what to do with him. The kids avoided him._

 _After his third home the bullying had started. The most consistent piece of mockery his muscles being mistaken for fat. Obese, chubby, portly, or, worst of all, chunky were the most common ones. Eventually he just did as his therapist suggested._

 _He absorbed the name that hurt him the most into his identity. He hated his father's name anyway. After his fifth home his first name dissolved into his new one, until only O'Chunks was left._

 _It wasn't until he met a monocled man with a strange name and his young pigtailed daughter that he truly felt he belonged somewhere again._

 ** _HA! Bet none of you were expecting THAT, huh? MUHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! XD In all reality, though. I really just wanted to give O'Chunks some characterization. Every time I see him in fanfiction he's like he is in the game, only a bit worse. He's a big, dumb brute with unwavering loyalty to the Count. While that's not all BAD things, I would like to see a bit more... meat from time to time. So here we go! My version of O'Chunks' "meat."_**

 ** _((P.S: Let me know if you can't understand through the accent. If not, I'll try and put in a translation or something.))_**


	3. Chapter 3 Flawed Reasoning

_**This one is a little longer than the others, but I think it's my best one yet. Enjoy!**_

Dimentio glanced nervously at his case worker. After his last foster parents had taken him to see Frozen, he'd dubbed the severe-looking woman Hanna, in honor of the character he felt she was closest to. She was pencil thin with a back like a ramrod. Everything about her was pointy, personality _not_ excluded.

Dimentio often wondered how and why she'd gotten into child services in the first place, because it was obvious she didn't like children. Or maybe it was just him she didn't like.

"So…" he started, trying for his usual bravado. "Where exactly are we heading again?"

Hanna glared at him. He grinned back.

"Can you blame me for being as curious as a cat on a windshield? I'm simply dying to know!" He gushed.

Hanna rolled her eyes. "We are heading to your new foster home. That is all you need to know."

If grating cotton was a thing, Dimentio felt that'd be what her voice would sound like. He slumped back into his seat, thoroughly annoyed. Why couldn't she just give him a straight answer for once? He only wanted to know where he'd be staying for the next… eh. He'd decide how long later.

He absent mindedly started braiding his hair. The long blonde strands had gotten longer than he normally allowed. Now quite bored, he let his mind wander. Soon his vision clouded and the day-dreams took over.

 _He was in the park they'd just passed. He was sitting on a picnic blanket, food spread out all around him. Cherry blossoms bloomed in the nearby trees, in direct defiance with the snow gently falling from the sky._

 _A young woman was seated next to him, her blonde hair just a shade or two darker than his own. She smiled at him, and he smiled back._

 _She started to talk to him, asking how his day had been, if he had seen the new issue of "Young Mages Monthly," whether he liked the snails or bear claws better, and by the way she'd seen a beautiful hat in a store that would go just perfectly with his favorite poncho._

 _Dimentio answered every question enthusiastically. This woman wasn't at all like the other adults. She was talking about things that mattered. Important things, not how many homes he'd been through or whether or not he was a "troubled kid."_

 _Best of all, she was_ nice to him. _All the other grown-ups took one look at his smirking face and unsettlingly colored eyes and automatically deemed him "trouble." But not this woman. One look at her, and Dimento knew she loved him._

 _And that was all that every mattered, really._

 _Slowly, a darkness overtook the park. It crawled into every vestige of this little sanctuary, clawing it away piece by piece._

 _The woman opened her arms for Dimentio, calling out to him over and over. He called back._

" _I'll find you, Mom! I promise I will! I'll find you!"_

" _Dimentio!"_

" _Dimentio!"_

"Dimentio, get out of the clouds! We're here."

Dimentio blinked, the daydream slowly fading. Dimly, he registered Hanna's snapping at him. He snagged his suitcase and hurried after her.

His jaw dropped the moment he stepped off the bus. The house was massive. Pearly black marble, highlighted by a startling white. The sconces alone were enough for the place to be labeled as a villain's manor.

Dimentio grinned. It was just his kind of place. Though, he might have added a bit more color. He tugged his worn black gloves down and strode up to the door, a grin fixed on his face.

{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{

It took Dimentio a day to settle in, two days to explore the entire mansion, and thirty seconds to decide O'Chunks was the biggest brainless brute he'd ever met.

All the eight-year-old had wanted was a cheese sandwich. Unfortunately the larger boy was already sitting at the counter, having a sandwich with what looked like all the leftovers from the fridge.

The Scot garbled something unintelligible at Dimentio. The blonde raised an eyebrow.

"And a how-de-do to you too, Chunky!" he grinned.

He tried edging himself to the fridge. While character evaluation was important, and oftentimes necessary, Dimentio preferred to do it on his own terms, when the deck was unevenly stacked in his favor.

Quite unluckily, though, O'Chunks managed to swallow before he made it.

"'Mentio!" He beamed down from the high stool. "Ah was 'ondering 'f ah'd 'afta find yeh. 'Anted to 'ave a chance teh talk with yeh."

"Oh?" Dimentio asked cautiously, curiosity peaked. "About what, may I ask?"

O'Chunks rubbed the back of his neck. "Listen. Do whater you want teh me, 'ut 'f yeh hurt Mimi, ah'm gonna 'ave to be 'retty mean teh yeh."

Dimentio felt his face twist into a grin that probably didn't look reassuring. A pressure point. That was something he could work with. An advantage at long last.

"Of course not, Chunky!" He gushed. "Why, harming Mimi would be like harming an innocent butterfly as it flew gently through the meadow on a soft summer breeze. I couldn't dream of doing something so callous!"

O'Chunks blinked at him, utterly confused. "Right. Glad 'e 'ould 'ome teh an understanding…"

Dimentio's grin widened. Dumb and had a soft spot for the girl. Now this was a pawn he could use. All he needed was Mimi under his thumb and he'd have both of them. What a cakewalk!

He nodded to O'Chunks, who'd returned to his sandwich, and left the room. He hurried to Mimi's room, stopping right outside her bright green door.

Cautiously, he pressed his ear against the painted surface. Hearing nothing, he knocked quietly, then obnoxiously. Nothing. He opened the door and went inside.

He'd never seen a poofier, pinker room. Dimentio would have pegged Mimi as more of a green kind of girl, but he supposed he guessed wrong. There was a full, canopied twin bed in one corner, with the opposite corner housed a sprawling doll city. In the center of the wall opposite the door stood a large vanity, much larger than Dimentio would have thought necessary for a six-year-old.

On the other hand, it made his search easier. He walked over to the vanity and was unsurprised to find it entirely covered in makeup. He opened all the drawers one by one. He grinned as he finally laid eyes on what he was looking for.

Reaching into the bottom left drawer, he pulled out a slim book, bound in green leather, the words "Mimi's Journal" written in a clear, gold script.

He flipped through it quickly. Soon though, it was made clear to him that the girl didn't really have much in the way of secrets. Most of her entries consisted of what dress she had gotten or new makeup design she'd created. He supposed he shouldn't have expected much more. Also her handwriting sucked.

His eyes suddenly landed on a particularly interesting segment.

' _Deer Diary. I acidntly brok a vase 2day. I didnt tell any1 beecase I didnt want to get in2 troble. When Nassy fond the vase she was vry mad, but I still didnt tell. U r the only 1 who nos diary. Pleas dont tell on me. –Mimimimimimimi'_

Dimentio grinned. Perfect. The breakage of a vase was a small offense to most adults. Often overshadowed if you owned up to it. But hiding the fact that you broke a vase? Lying about it? Those were a _big_ deal. If he played his cards right he might could even inflate the possible consequences in Mimi's mind. Make it seem even bigger deal than it would be.

"What are you doing in here?" A shrill voice demanded.

Dimentio whirled. Mimi stood in the doorway, trembling with anger. The anger, of course, only grew when she saw what was in his hands.

"That's mine!" She accused.

Dimentio gave her his best Cheshire Cat smile. "So it is!" he declared. "And may I say, you've been a very bad girl, Mimikins."

Mimi went slack, face paling a bit. "Wh-What are you talking about?"

Dimentio turned his head back to the diary. "Breaking a vase?" He clicked his tounge. "Naughty, naughty, naughty."

He mimed skimming a bit further down, then made a show of gasping.

"LYING?" He looked back at her, putting on a mask of betrayal. "And here I thought you were a good girl."

As he expected, Mimi panicked, completely forgetting the invasion of privacy.

"Please don't tell on me, Dimmy! Nassy would be so mad if she found out I hid it from her. Please don't tell, I'll do anything!"

He smirked. "Anything?"

"Anything." She confirmed.

Perfect. Simply perfect.

"Well, for starters, you can't tell anyone I came in here." He waited for her nod. "Second, if I ask you for a favor, you've gotta do whatever I say, deal?"

"Deal!" She agreed quickly.

Dimentio grinned again, even wider this time. "Glad we could come to an understanding. Well, Ciao!"

He slipped past her and out the door, snickering to himself. Six-year-olds were incredibly easy, girls doubly so. Mimi, though was easier than most to manipulate.

Dimentio decided then and there that this was the place for him. Living with two other kids, both of them under his thumb, was akin to a castle among a field of shrimpy cottages. All he had to do was get the Count to adopt him and he was set for life. He'd be on top, and the grown-ups would be none the wiser. Not to mention he'd have this big mansion as a playground.

He couldn't do anything yet, though. If he started laying ground work too soon, people would get suspicious. He'd learned that lesson in his fifth home. He could wait. He could wait…

{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{

A month later he knocked on the door to the Count's office, making sure not to knock too hard, or the whole act would be ruined.

He was rewarded by a soft voice telling him to come in. He entered. A large oak desk took up the majority of the room, with big, soft-looking chairs on either side. Count Bleck was seated in one of them, behind the desk.

The Count looked up at him and smiled reassuringly. "It is alright, Dimentio. Did you have something to talk about, asked Count Bleck?"

Dimentio gave a small smile back and walked up to the desk. He clambered up the seat, making a show of struggling to climb up it. When he faced Bleck again, there was a very bemused look on the Count's face.

Dimentio wrung his hands. "Well um, you see sir, I uh. Well I really like it here. None of the other homes were ever as nice as this."

A spark of interest lit up in the Count's eyes. "Is that so?"

Dimentio nodded. "Yeah. You've been really nice over the past month. Everyone here has. And your house… it's like… it's like a beautiful oasis in the middle of a Gommba infested desert!"

The Count blinked. "A what?"

Dimentio faltered. Darn. It was always the metaphors that got him in trouble.

"I-uh… It's very nice sir." He bit his lip, calling up some tears. "I-I wish I could stay here longer. But I guess I'll have to leave soon…" He trailed off, letting a couple more tears leak into his eyes.

"What exactly did you want to talk about, Dimentio? Asked Count Bleck."

Ah, an opening. "Well, uh… I just wanted to say…" He inserted a lengthy pause. "Never mind. Just forget it. Thanks anyway, Count."

He hopped off the chair, then scurried out the door. As he closed the door behind him, he couldn't keep the grin off his face. He pressed his ear against the door. Sure enough, after a few moments he heard the Count talk to someone over the phone.

"I'm going to need some more adoption papers." There was a pause. "I am _not_ adopting all of them." Another pause. "Ah yes, sarcasm. How original. Look Nastasia, I've had a total of… thirteen kids come and go through this mansion. If I want to adopt three or four of them, well it's not like I can't afford it!" Pause. "Thank you, Nastasia."

Dimentio walked into the hall and pumped his fist. Sometimes adults could be easier than six-year-olds. Give them a little push, make them feel in the right places, and they were putty in your hands. Count Bluemeire Bleck was no exception. In fact, he was almost sure at this point that the Count was actually easier than the other adults he'd met.

He was down the hall, quite pleased with himself now, and started looking at the paintings. He'd never really paid a lot of attention to them before, but he figured there was no better time to pay attention than when he was in a good mood.

He grinned up at them, looking from one to the other. Suddenly he saw one that made him stop dead in his tracks. It was a portrait of a beautiful woman. She was wearing a shimmery white dress and her blonde hair was pinned up by an angular butterfly pin. Blonde hair that was one or two shades darker than Dimentio's.

No longer smiling, he ran to his room. He threw open the purple door and anxiously crossed to his sock drawer. He yanked it open and pulled a piece of paper out of the bottom. He sprinted back to the painting.

His hands shook for real now. He nervously held his paper up to the painting. No doubt about it. The faded, worn picture in his hands matched the painting perfectly.

Well rather, the woman inside them both matched. The woman in his hand was caught mid-laugh. The woman in the painting, however, had obviously been posed, but it was in a way that didn't diminish her beauty at all. Rather, the angle and lighting had seemed specially designed to capture her elegance and grace, as well as enhance how pretty she was.

Dimentio swallowed hard. What was a picture of his mother doing in Count Bleck's mansion?

At the sound of footsteps, he shoved the picture in his pocket. He whirled and saw the Count's raven-haired secretary walking down the hall. Though normally he would hide and admire her fashion sense, (pink streaks? Awesome!) he had a more pressing matter.

He stopped her in the hall. "Nassy! I-uh…"

He flailed. There wasn't any time for his usual dance of bravado.

"Um, who's that woman? In that painting there." He pointed.

Nastasia's impassive face flickered for a moment, an emotion he didn't have time or patience to read. "That's, like, Lady Timpani. Count Bleck's fiancé. She went missing about five years ago. Why?"

He swallowed again. "Uh, just curious."

He looked back at the painting, barely registering Nastasia's leaving. Words floated around his head.

His mother. Lady Timpani. Fiancé. Five years. He was eight, turning nine in two months. Eight. Five. Eight. Five. Eight. Five. Eight. Nine. Five. Nine. Eight. Five. Five.

His head spun. His mother was the Count's fiancé? She was missing? She had been for five years? But he was almost nine! Did that mean the Count was his father or was it someone else? Why had she abandoned him? For the Count?

Who else could it have been? His mother had left him on a doorstep and gotten engaged to a Count. That was the only explanation. She'd left him with a small picture and faint dreams.

Something inside of him broke. He didn't cry. He never cried anymore. But he was close, oh so very close.

He felt a hand on his shoulder and jolted. Mimi stood behind him. He didn't know how he'd missed her coming up.

"Dimmy?" She asked carefully. "Are you okay?"

He stared at her for a long moment, then shrugged her hand off.

"'M fine. Go away."

"But Dimmy-"

"I said buzz off!" He snapped.

She backed up, shock written on her face, then she ran for her room. Dimentio shrugged off the tiny feeling of remorse in favor of his inner turmoil, squashing it under his rioting feelings.

His mother had left him for a better offer. And who could blame her. If forced to choose between a stick of a son who only got by on his wits and card tricks or a rich and handsome young man with everything to offer… well the choice was obvious, wasn't it?

He felt sick. He'd promised his mother. After every daydream, he had promised her he'd find her. But now it seemed she didn't even want him. He wondered why he'd ever thought she had. Maybe if he could offer her what the Count did…

That was it! He'd just take everything the Count had and make it his own. It would take a long time, but he was certain he'd be able to do it.

True, she had left the Count as well, but he felt confident that faced with her long lost son _and_ the Count's fortune she wouldn't be able to refuse.

 ** _(sorry not sorry) I actually struggled for a good long while on this chapter. I needed Dimentio to have a reason to ultimately betray the Count, but i didn't want to have to change his character at all. Finally, I asked my sister for an idea and she said to make a love triangle between Count Bleck, Tippi, and Dimentio. I told her that wouldn't work because Tippi was already missing, and then promptly got struck by this bolt of lightning. Hehehe. It was actually a lot of fun to write._**

 ** _This chappie was my fave out of all of them to write, mostly because this is the way I wish I could write all the time._**


	4. Chapter 4 Nightmares of the Past

**_Welcome to our last installment of the prequels. After this it will be mostly fluff. I hope._**

The Count nearly leaped from his bed, started out of his slumber from a combination of a hellish nightmare and the sound of a child crying. Groaning inwardly, he a got out of bed and started towards the source of the noise.

He wasn't very surprised when he found himself outside Little L's door. The green capped ten year old always seemed so quiet, it was sometimes hard to believe he was capable of making such a racket. Cautiously, he opened the door.

The small boy was sitting in the exact middle of his bed, head buried in his knees. Bluemeire couldn't see the tears from where he was, but the child's racking sobs made their presence apparent.

The Count quietly made his way over to the boy's bed and say down next to him. He took the small child in his arms and rocked him for a bit before trying to ask what was wrong.

After Little L had calmed down a bit, the Count retracted his embrace a little.

"So what brought this on, hmmm?" He asked. "Nightmares agian?"

L shook his head timidly. "I was thinking about my brother again."

Ah. That explained it. L had had a brother who was adopted shortly before Bluemeire took L in. Before their separation, the two had only had each other.

To top it off, L suffered from shirt term memory loss. He couldn't even remember how name must of the time, which was why Luigi had been shortened to L. The one constant in his memory was his brother. For whatever twisted reason fate had, every memory of L's brother was perfectly untouched. For the most part, at least.

Bluemeire tightened his grip on Little L.

"He-he promised." L hiccuped. "Malleo promised he wouldn't leave for very long this time. But he didn't come back. Why didn't he... Come back?"

The small boy was now sobbing into Count Bleck's pjs, crying for his brother to come back.

"I don't understand. Why wouldn't he come back? How could he jus-just leave like that? Why... Why..."

The Count didn't say a word. He just held the small boy until he quieted enough to talk more.

"Count Bleck knows what it is like to lose someone you love, L. Believe me. It isn't easy, especially if you feel they left you. You wonder if it was your fault, if there was something you could have done to make them stay. But listen to me, L." The boy twisted to face him. "It was not your fault. It wasn't Mario's either. These things happen sometimes. They aren't fun, but sometimes people just have to go. Even if we don't understand, we have to let them fly on their own for a bit. Only then can they truly come back to us.

"You aren't alone, child. I will never leave you, understand?"

The boy nodded. "An you stay here tonight, Count?" L asked softly. "I don't want to forget again."

Bluemeire nodded and shifted into a more comfortable position. He slowly rocked L back and forth until the ten year old had fallen asleep.

"Remember, L. No matter who else leaves, Count Bleck will always be here for you."

 ** _I'msorrybutthisisallIcouldthinkofforhim! I feel so bad doing this to my smol babby child (even more so because he is a smol babby child here) but it was the only in-universe way I could think to explain the Luigi/Mr.L situation. Please don't hate me._**

 ** _Because in this fic the two are basically the same person, I figured "Little L" would be like Luigi for most of his life, but go through a rough, teenager phase where he's closer to Mr.L. He also may or may not go partially goth during that time. Idk, haven't worked out the details there yet. Basically, he's probably gonna act a little OOC for Mr. L, and kinda off for Luigi. Hate to do it like that, but I can't come up with a better solution._**

 ** _IN OTHER NEWS: I am now accepting prompts! I wanted to get these four chapters done before I made this a prompt fic, but now they are all done. To give me a prompt, please write it in your review. You_ can _message me, but I would prefer to have it in the reviews. Also, updates may be slowing down because I won't always have the new chapters ready to go like the first four were. (Aka: updates will now be sporadic at best) I'll try to update even if I'm not given a prompt, but I REALLY want to hear all of your ideas too._**

 ** _Thanks! Ciao!_**


	5. Chapter 5 Big Brothers

**_Fluff Ahead!_**

"Now, you're going to want to use a smaller brush to apply this particular shade. I prefer to use the same kind as the pros, but the one you get from Howsit's can work just as well." Mimi instructed her audience.

She may not have been able to directly see her viewers, but her makeover channel was one of the most popular ones on ViewTube. That meant care, quality, and quantity. A few of said viewers had requested she make a tutorial on a video game character, who was known for wearing several layers of makeup. It had been tricky to figure out at first, but she was managing just fine.

If only her model would stop squirming. She tapped L's shoulder again, reminding him to stay still. He quieted instantly, but started moving again soon after.

If she didn't need to look professional, the teen would have sighed. She cursed the fact that said character was male, otherwise she would have just used her own face. L certainly wouldn't have been her first choice either, but O'Chunks was growing out a beard and Dimentio liked to move just to mess her up.

L meant well, but not only was he trying to grow facial hair of his own, but he moved far too often for her liking.

"Annnnnd… There!" She turned the chair to better face the camera. "All done! Don't forget to like and subscribe. Until next time, my loyal audience, MimiMimi!"

She signaled for O'Chunks to turn off the camera. L exhaled loudly.

"Does that mean we're done?" He asked anxiously.

"Not quite." She told him as she snagged the camera and dismissed O'Chunks. "We still have to take a couple pictures showing off the final look. As well as get in the opening scene."

L groaned. "But it itches!"

Mimi whirled on him, glaring. "Don't you dare scratch!" she warned.

L lowered the hand that had been climbing towards his face.

"Yes a-ma'mm." He squeaked.

Satisfied, she turned her attention to what she liked to call the photoshoot portion of each video.

{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{

Later that evening…

Mimi put the finishing touches on her makeup, wiping the red lipstick off anywhere it wasn't supposed to be. She nodded at her reflection, nearly satisfied with its appearance.

"You working on another video, Mimikins?" asked a voice behind her.

Anyone else might have jumped at the sudden intrusion, but the blonde girl didn't even turn.

"Get out of my room Dimentio." She made sure her voice conveyed _every bit_ of her annoyance.

"Ah, I'm hurt!" The boy behind her joked. "My full name? Really? No Dimmy? No 'Mentio? Why it makes me feel like a pig abandoned by his master at a carnival on warm summer day."

Mimi rolled her eyes at the oddly specific metaphor. It was par for the course when dealing with Dimentio.

"If I was filming, wouldn't the camera be out?" she asked him.

She watched him in the mirror as he considered this. "Touché."

He wandered over as she continued fiddling with her powder. He didn't say anything, but both of them knew he didn't need to. If he stuck around long enough, she'd tell him what he wanted.

She sighed and put down the brush. She didn't really have time for a stubbornness battle with her most persistent brother.

"If you must know," she turned to him. "I'm getting ready for my date tonight."

Dimentio's eyebrows rose. "Date?" he repeated. "How did you get a date?''

"Hey!" she protested. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Dimentio laughed. "Not what you took it as." His smile faded a bit. "Seriously though, how did you get a date?"

Mimi shrugged. "I met him in town. He seemed nice enough, so I decided to give it a try."

"In town?" he questioned.

"Yeah, down Flopside."

"Flopside." He mused. "I trust you know that everyone in downtown Flipside is an evil crook who only cares about themselves, yes?"

Mimi rolled her eyes. "Not everyone adheres to your standards, you big meanie."

"Oh I know!" Dimentio grinned at her. "I gotta run now, if you don't mind."

"By all means, leave. And if you need any more motivation…" She tilted her neck, allowing a single portion of her neck to pop. He got the message.

Mimi had discovered in her early teenhood that the easiest way to get rid of the kricks in her neck was to pop it. As an added bonus, her method for neck popping freaked out her brothers to no end. Each one of them claimed it looked like her neck was snapping. It was the perfect way to keep her spine and brothers in line. Two birds with one stone!

Dimentio chuckled. "Well, Ciao!"

Mimi rolled her eyes again and returned to her makeup.

{{{{{{

L met O'Chunks at the front door. The brawny boy was positively glowering. L stood by the door, shifting nervously on his feet.

"So a… I guess we have to scare this boy away, huh?" he asked, only half sure of the answer.

"Ah 'dink so." O'Chunks grumbled. "Ah got 'ulled away from a 'eftovers samich fer dis."

L tried for a chuckle. "I just hope the two of us are enough to shoo him off."

O'Chunks nodded. ""Mentio's 'elp certainly wouln' go amiss 'ere. 'ut ye know 'ow 'e is."

It was L's turn to nod. Dimentio didn't like to get his hands dirty and preferred to have the other two do the work for him. Chances were the "anonymous tip" both of them had received was from him. It was blatant manipulation, but they'd learned to live with it, and more importantly, to recognize it.

They were started out their conversation by a ring at the door.

"I got it!" L shouted behind them.

He let O'Chunks open the door. Standing on the other side of it was a tall young man with a blocky head and a sharp nose. L supposed he was somewhat good looking, if you liked that sort of thing.

The young man stepped back a bit at the sight of an large, angry Scotsman rather than the expected sweet young girl. He smiled nervously.

"Hello. Is Mimi home?"

"'S it teh yeh?" O'Chunks growled.

"Um…What?" the man stammered.

"He asked what it was to you." L explained, coming into view of the younger man.

The other guy's smiled wavered. "Ah. Well… I'm supposed to take her out tonight. I'm her date." He finished lamely.

""ho are yeh teh be takin out our sister?" O'Chunks asked.

The man's nervous smile dropped. L watched as he mouthed 'sister?' Oh great. He was one of _those_ people.

"Yeah. _Our sister_. Our _little_ sister." L affirmed.

"'Ow old are yeh?" O'Chunks asked.

"Um… I'm seventeen but-"

"Ah! You do know that Mimi is _fifteen_ , right?" L crossed his arms, hoping to Grambi he was being intimidating enough. "That's awfully young to be dating a seventeen year old."

"Well I…"

"Oh knock it off!" A high voice called.

The three turned to see a rather impatient Mimi tapping her foot behind them.

"There's no call to scare him, you big meanies!" She glared at them, and lowered her voice so only the two of them could hear. "This is my choice. If it's a mistake, then it'll be my own fault. But it's. My. CHOICE. Don't make me pop my neck!" She added as an after thought.

L and O'Chunks looked at one another and came to a silent agreement. They moved out of the way.

Mimi glided past them. She smiled at the boy in front of her.

"You ready?" she asked cheerily.

The boy nodded, obviously still a bit nervous. "Ready."

L watched the two of them leave. "It won't last long." He whispered to O'Chunks.

"Did you see his face when you called her our sister? Not the usual 'oh snap she has brothers.'"

O'Chunks murmered his agreement. "'Ore 'ike ''ow are dey related.'"

L nodded. "But I suppose… if she had to find out in any way…"

O'Chunks nodded. They stared off in the direction the two had left in.

"Yeh wan' play Bash Sisters?" O'Chunks asked.

L shrugged. "I wasn't doing anything."

{{{{{{{

"I'm so sorry about them!" Mimi laughed. "I'm the only girl in the family, so they've always felt the need to protect me. You know how it is."

"Yeah." Her date looked at the ground. "About that, are they really… I mean, it's kinda obvious that you guys aren't related all the way. So like... are you all adopted… or what?"

Mimi's face froze. "Does it matter if we are?" She asked.

"I mean, kinda." He answered. "If you guys aren't technically related you could, like, realize your love with one of them at any moment. Kinda makes dating a bit of a moot."

Mimi unhooked her arm from his. "You know, I just realized why they were so mad. I think _Family_ Fun Night may be tonight and I forgot to get permission to skip from _our dad_."

Her date looked at her, surprised at the sudden change. "Can we reschedule?"

"No. I don't think that would be a good idea. I've reviewed the whole situation and decided you aren't my type." She stated matter-of-factly.

"Can I at least walk you home?" he asked.

"No. I can handle myself, thank you. I grew up with three brothers, _remember?_ "

She turned on her heels and made her way home, not looking back once. She didn't talk to anyone once she was home. She dumped herself on her bed, throwing her purse across the room.

"So how'd it go?"

"Shut up Dimmy."

 _ **This one is really more focused on the siblings/minions, but it gives you a small glimpse into their lives as teens. Mimi's more specifically. (Her channel is famous because she can "totally transform" her face. lol) I'll try and post some Parental!Bleck next.**_


	6. Chapter 6 The Dreaded Realm

Count Bleck tapped the steering wheel anxiously. He glanced at the kids in the back seat, searching their faces for any sign of hesitation. There wasn't a lot of it. After all, for them this was routine.

He sighed and turned his attention back to the road. Nastasia had offered to take them for him, but like a fool, he'd declined. His reasoning was if they needed to go to _that place_ he'd take them himself. At least for the first time.

Now, of course, he was regretting the decision. He was expected to just leave them there! As if they were some burden he was unloading. What kind of father just left their children in a place where they could be picked on and potentially hurt, both physically and emotionally?

The Count ignored the part of him that said every father. No, not every father. Some kept the children at home and did all the necessary things there, rather than at some horrid establishment. That was the solution! He'd just turn around…

And try to explain his decision to his sweet-but-strict secretary. No, keeping them at home all the time wasn't the best idea. He never had the time anyway.

He tapped the steering wheel as he pulled into the driveway of the wretched place. The four small bodies clambered out, with their guardian following slowly after.

Dimentio ran ahead, dragging O'Chunks with him. The jester's hat he'd picked out the other day was slowly slipping towards his eyes, but the eight-year-old didn't seem to mind or care.

Mimi and L, meanwhile slipped their hands into either one of the Count's. He was grateful for that. Not only was it reassuring, it let him know he wasn't the only one nervous to be here.

He called the other two back and crouched to their eye level.

"Now remember." He instructed. "If anyone makes you feel uncomfortable, just call Count Bleck and he will come racing straight here."

A chorus of okays met his ears.

"And try to listen to whoever is in charge, alright? So asks Count Bleck."

Another round of okays. Bluemeire looked at them all, drinking in how they looked in this moment. Dimentio bouncing to go in the building behind them, O'Chunks' face neutral but with a slight touch of worry, Mimi nervous but raring to go, Little L almost shaking from fear. He scooped all of them into a large hug.

"Good luck." He whispered, holding his children tightly.

Dimentio was the first to shove away, causing the rest of the group to split apart. The small blond huffed at such a public display of affection, but the Count got the impression he was secretly pleased with the attention.

"Go on." He told the kids. "Have fun."

They all smiled up at him before racing off into the building and out of his sight. Bluemire smiled after them, long after they had gone inside. The night before he had been worried that they would resist coming. He had never dreamed he might resist taking.

He wondered if all parents had this much trouble on the first day of school.

 ** _Occasionally, I can deliver fluff to all of you. Very very occasionally. ;)_**


	7. Chapter 7 What's in a Name?

Thanksgiving was interesting to say the least. Bluemeire didn't really have any family, at least not any he talked to, so it was just him, the kids, and Nastasia. All the staff had been given the day off, but that didn't stop their cook, Saffron from making three days' worth of food for them to celebrate with. Seeing how much of it was perishable (and how little space they had in their kitchen) they decided to have a big lunch rather than a big dinner.

O'Chunks, naturally, ate half of said food all by himself when the time for lunch rolled around. Mimi scolded him for eating so much, but the eleven-year-old ignored her.

"'F dere's one day when yeh can et all yeh like, t's today." He argued.

Mimi huffed, her pigtails almost trembling with indignant anger. "Maybe, but you'll ge' fat! How are you gonna play dress up if your fat?"

"Well maybe he won't play dress up." Dimentio interjected.

Mimi's eyes watered. "But… but he has to play dress up. I love playing dress up."

O'Chunks swallowed his food, seeing her tears. "Ah'll still plah dresses, Mimi. 'On't yeh worry."

Mimi's face brightened instantly and the meal continued in relative peace. Dimentio started picking at his food, eventually abandoning it altogether in favor of playing with his silverware. He had his laid on the table and was stabbing the knife between his fingers, slowly at first, but gradually getting faster.

Finally, Nastasia leaned over to him and snatched the knife away.

"Hey!" Dimentio protested.

Nastasia looked the boy straight in his eyes. "Listen, um, you need to stop doing that, kay? It could, like, seriously hurt you."

"But NASSY!" He whined. "All the other kids are doing it!"

Nastasia's glare intensified. "Knock. It. Off."

Dimentio shrank under her gaze. "Yes ma 'mm."

The secretary gave a satisfied nod and sat back in her chair. Utter silence reigned over the table for a few moments.

You did not cross Nassy. Especially if she looked you in the eyes while saying something. It wasn't really a rule, spoken or unspoken, but if you started to do something when she had specifically told you not to you started to feel a bit queasy before you could finish doing it.

O'Chunks let out a loud burp, breaking the quiet. Everyone laughed, all except one.

Bluemire nudged the small Italian next to him. "What's wrong, L? Do you not want to join in on the fun?"

L looked up at him. "It's not that…"

"What is it?" The Count prompted.

"It's just… I feel like there should be more pasta on the table." The small boy admitted. "Spaghetti and lasagna and alfredo… you know, that kinda thing."

"Spaghetti and alfredo are basically the same thing, Ellie." Dimentio stuck his tongue out at the other boy.

"No they aren't!" L protested. "They're very different. Yah put meat in spaghetti and yah use red sauce. Cause if you put white sauce in w'th the meat it don't taste very good."

"Wow L," Mimi admired. "You know a lot about pasta, huh?"

L nodded. "Uh-huh! We used to make pasta by ourselves all the time. It didn't always taste so good, but we did our best!"

Mimi turned her head to the side. "Who's w-"

"Who's ready for pie?" Nastasia interrupted quickly.

Bluemire shot her a grateful smile. The last thing they needed was L breaking down in front of the others. He pushed a slice of pumpkin pie onto the small boy's plate.

L smiled. "Thanks Papa."

Everyone froze. L looked down at his pie in a mixture of horror and embarrassment. A piece of pie dropped off O'Chunks' fork. A smile slowly grew on Dimentio's face. Mimi simply sat there, eyes wide. Nastasia watched all of them carefully, likely monitoring their reactions for later reference.

Outwardly, the Count smiled. Inwardly he was shrieking with delight. L had called him Papa! Not Count, not Bleck, but his own variation of Daddy! He wanted to pick up the small boy and whirl him around in utter delight. He wanted to re-fill out the adoption papers just to prove that he was, in fact, the child's father now.

"Your welcome, L."

{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{

Eventually, the others started calling him Papa as well. Occasionally, they would still call him Count or Bleck, though. One day O'Chunks stumbled over the words and called him Papa Count.

Much to Bluemire's chagrin, the nickname stuck. Mostly due to Dimentio's teasing and absolute refusal to call him anything else. O'Chunks couldn't say anything else, and L was soon swayed by Dimentio. Before too long, Mimi was calling him that too.

Even Nastasia would teasingly say "Count Papa" from time to time.

Bluemire didn't mind all that much, though. Papa sounded much better from the kids than Bleck did.

 ** _Inspired by an HC from the Gravity Falls Transcendence AU where Toby starts calling Alcor Dadrone. I like to think that this would very much happen, especially if Dimentio saw it annoyed Bluemire. Any other ideas for cute nicknames would be more than welcome. :)_**


	8. Chapter 8 Sleepover

Mimi into the school building, quite breathless as she reached the classroom door. She stopped just outside to collect herself before she entered. She flipped her hair and made sure her signature cool was in place before walking in and dazzling all in the room.

She sat down gracefully next to Luvbi, her best friend. Luvbi smirked at her, perfect, platinum bun wobbling ever so slightly.

"So what be the reason this time?" She asked.

Mimi huffed. "O'Chunks forgot his lunch and we had to go back. Then L realized he left his book bag on the table when he went to grab it. Of course by the sound of Dimentio's cackling, I'm pretty sure he's the one who left it there, even though Papa Count swears he was in car the whole time."

Luvbi quirked a smile. "Truly, thy brothers are an inspiration in the ways of mischief."

"Preaching to the choir, Luv." The shorter blonde chirped. "Speaking of choirs, heard any angelic noises when you look at a guy today?"

Luvbi rolled her eyes. "Mayhap not today, but I have faith that my true love is on his way."

Mimi giggled. "So are we still on for later tonight?"

"I would rather perish than miss such an event!" Luvbi exclaimed.

"Good. So I'll pick you up after ballet practice?"

Luvbi nodded before her eyes darted to the doorway. "Alark! Trouble does walk in."

Mimi turned to the door too, and saw a boy dressed in all green with bright yellow hair that stuck nearly straight up. The boy tripped into the doorway and sat behind the two girls, grinning at the two of them the whole way.

"So why are _you_ late?" Mimi asked him.

He ran a hand through his hair, which didn't help it to lay flat. "Had to see something."

"'Something' would not happen to be a reaction to a prank, would it?" Luvbi questioned.

The boy laid a hand over his chest. "Why Luvbi! The very idea that you'd think so low of the mighty Squirps is simply offensive."

Luvbi snorted. "It would be, if 'the mighty Squirps' did not constantly do such things."

Squirps' grin widened. "Squirps supposes he can't argue with that. So what are the two of you talking about?"

"Luvbi is sleeping over at my place tonight." Mimi explained. "We were just discussing some inner workings of the arrangement."

"And in case it was unclear, thee were not invited Squirps." Luvbi glowered.

Squirps gave a mock huff. "When has Squirps ever invited himself over to one of your girly things?"

"Um, the _last_ time we had a sleepover!" Mimi exclaimed.

"That was different." Squirps dismissed.

"Pertell in what way?" Luvbi asked indignantly.

"You don't have three older brothers who Squirps can make a bad impression on." Squirps smirked at Luvbi. "Also, is 'pertell' even a word?"

Luvbi opened her mouth to retaliate just as the teacher walked in.

"Alright class, open your books to page 567."

Luvbi glared at Squirps, making it clear that this was _not_ over, and turned to focus on the lesson. Mimi couldn't help giggling to herself. The fact that her friends were always arguing didn't bother her in the slightest. It was rather amusing, actually.

They were just too opposite to get along all the time. Luvbi was a hopelessly romantic ballerina on the search for her true love, and Squirps was a hapless prankster who just happened to be related to royalty. But Mimi wouldn't change them for the world.

{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{

L heard a car door shut and looked up from his blueprints. Mimi had mentioned having a friend over, but L wasn't sure if Papa Count had remembered. His reason for thinking this: he was the only one home at the moment.

He wandered over to the window to confirm his suspicions. Sure enough, Mimi was standing nearby as a willowy blonde in a tutu hoisted a bag out of the truck of the car. He sighed and left to greet them.

He met them outside the dining room. Mimi looked to be in quite a huff at this point, while her friend just looked bored.

"Hey." He greeted.

"Where is everyone?" Mimi demanded shrilly. "The only people who seem to be here right now is you, me, and the staff! Where did everyone go?"

L shrugged. "Count Papa took Dimentio and O'Chunks out to see some action movie. I opted out, and Nassy should be up in the study."

Mimi let out a slow breath. "Well, I suppose you're better than nothing. Luvbi, this is my brother, L. L, this is Luvbi, my bestest of best friends."

L smiled at the tutu-clad girl. "Pleased to meet you."

Luvbi stood there, looking as though she was in total shock. She was gripping her bag, knuckles sheet white. L wasn't sure if she was even breathing.

Mimi noticed too. She nudged her friend. "Luv? You okay there?"

Luvbi inhaled sharply and shook her head. "Aye. I am fine."

Mimi cocked an eyebrow. "Alright then." She paused. "Why don't we go say hi to Nassy? I know you'll love her. She likes fashion and always lets me try new eyeshadow on her. Speaking of, we should totally do a video tonight! I have this perfect shade of…"

Mimi tugged her friend down the corridor, talking the whole way. L furrowed his brow, going over the whole exchange in his head. Had he… done something wrong? Luvbi had frozen as soon as she saw him, seemingly in a trance. Had he scared her?

No. He was far from scary, as his siblings so liked to remind him. Not to mention anyone who was friends with Mimi would have to have... a rather strong countenance. But if wasn't that he'd scared her, why had she closed up as soon as he entered the hall?

Girls were a mystery, to be sure.

{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{

Luvbi's heart fluttered in her chest. What in Great Grambi's name had just happened? The moment she'd seen that mustashioed freak her body had refused to work anymore. She reviewed the entire scene in her head.

He'd shown up and her limbs locked up. He'd turned to her and roses seems to come out from behind his head. Music had started playing when he talked to her. L. That was his name. Her heart skipped a beat as she realized her name started with the same self-same letter.

What was wrong with her?

The ballerina brought a picture of him to the forefront of her mind. After much studying, she decided he was simply so ugly and hairy that her brain had short-circuited.

She couldn't move because her brain couldn't compute with the images in front of her. The roses had simply been her eyes trying to compensate by inserting something pleasing. Same with her ears and the music.

Not that he had a bad voice. It was smooth and had the barest traces of an accent lurking underneath it. It was so… so ugly! Yes. That was the word she was looking for. And the peppermint smell emitting from him was just to cover up the scent of cigarettes that was wafting off of him.

HA! He smoked, another point against him, though she wasn't sure when she'd started keeping count.

No. Not cigarettes. Something burnt, but not cigarettes. Gunpowder maybe? Whatever, it didn't matter to her what he smelled like. What his interests were. How he'd gotten such a smell on him in the first place. Didn't matter to her at all. Not in the slightest.

She prayed she wouldn't run into him again that night. She wasn't sure her heart could take another encounter with such ugliness.

 ** _Can you say "crack ship?" Cause I can apparently scream it at the top of my lungs. XD I don't know why, but this idea just came to my. It was the only idea I had, so I decided to roll with it. Why L and Luvbi? Well, in the game she ends up with Mario and Luigi anyway (in a way) but she currently has no reason to meet Mario, seeing as his role in this is so limited. Anywho, this was mostly just for funsies. I am in no way to be taken seriously on this front._**

 ** _Side note: I feel like Luvbi, Mimi, and Squirps would be good friends. Idk why, maybe cause thier all brats until they're redeemed? \\(~_~)/ IDK I'M RUNNING ON, LIKE... LESS THAN A NORMAL AMOUNT OF SLEEP! (Oh brain, why do you torment me?)_**

 ** _P.P.S: I'm beginning to hate it when people talk in third person. First Bleck, now Squirps. Why me? X(_**


	9. Chapter 9 A Guide on Saying NO

Mimi looked up at the Count, and he realized she probably made her eyes that huge on purpose. Well he wasn't caving. Not this time. No matter how soft the brown kitten in her arms looked. No matter how much her lower lip trembled.

"No." he told the seven-year-old firmly. "Count Bleck cannot have any pets around the house. He is allergic."

Mimi's pout only grew more pitiful. "But he won't get in the way. I'll keep him away from the study, and the office, and you won't ever smell him. You won't even know he's there!"

She was borderline begging now, and Bluemeire was practically praying for some form of strength against her.

"No." He told her again, though a bit more falteringly this time. "Count Bleck has no guarantee you would take care of this cat properly. He feels it would fall to Nastasia or one of the staff."

"But-but I would, though." Mimi's eyes started to tear up and the knowledge that they were crocodile tears did absolutely nothing to limit their effectiveness.

"We will take him to the shelter later, Mimi." He tried. "You can spend the day with him, and we will take him there tonight."

"NO!" She wailed. "We can't take him there. It's the same as an orphanage! He's an orphan and we adopted him! We can't just put him back because we don't like him. What about ohana?"

The Count blinked. "Are you… quoting Lilo and Stich at Count Bleck?"

Mimi faltered. "Maybe. But it's a good argument!"

She held the kitten closer and Bluemeire had to agree with her. It was a pretty good argument. She wasn't pulling any punches now, hitting him right where it counts. Comparing the kitten to orphans like that. The words "low blow" and "cheap shot" came to mind.

"The answer is still no, Mimi. Truly, Count Bleck is sorry, but we can't have an animal roaming around the house. It might get lost."

Mimi huffed. "Well we keep O'Chunks around, what's the difference?"

Bluemeire frowned at her. "Don't speak about your brother that way. It's un-ladylike." He clapped his hands together. "Now. Why don't you run and play with the kitten while Count Bleck gets a crate to put him in?"

Mimi frowned angrily at him for several seconds before turning on her heel and marching towards her bedroom. Doubtless she had some scheme on how to keep the tiny cat, and it would almost certainly involve Dimentio. Probably the other two as well, depending on what said scheme involved.

Bluemeire didn't mind, though. He was too busy relishing his victory. This was the first time he'd been able to continue saying no to her. Well, perhaps that was not entirely true. If it was something trivial he was able to put his foot down. But he normally buckled once she started laying on the full charm.

He hadn't this time though! He chortled to himself. He was beginning to get this parenting thing down.

 ** _I'm just going to feed you fluff until my unoffical beta is done with the angst. Be prepared. Be very scared, too._**

 ** _P.S: Can you tell this chapter comes from personal experience? Lol._**


	10. Chapter 10 Small Hours

It was the little things that really made Bluemeire helplessly in love with these children.

The way Mimi had insisted they dress in matching costumes on Halloween. The way she would drag him into tea parties and makeover his overly long hair into all kinds of strange hairdos. The way her first coloring project from school had been a portrait of him.

It was the way Dimentio pretended not to care, but helped his sister up when she fell off her bike. The way he took extra care not to mess with L's tools when he went in to bother him. The way he was more than happy to call O'Chunks stupid, but would punch anyone else who said so.

It was L's screams for him in the middle of the night and his sobs whenever he had a particularly bad episode. It was the two of them cuddling until late in the morning, content in the knowledge that, if nothing else, they had each other.

It was O'Chunks' acceptance of him. The way he'd graduate from punching Bluemire in the shoulder to hugging him. His gradual trust and eventual love.

It was the sight of a drawing of five of them (and Nastasia) with the words "My Family" scrawled across the top in childish handwriting. The feeling of pinning their accomplishments on his fridge. The pride at each of their plays and events. The small twinge of sadness every time they left or he dropped them off.

But most of all, it was the times when it would just hit him. He'd be happily going about his business, seeing them off or filing an unrelated form, and it would strike him between the eyes.

He was a father. He hadn't meant to be. He hadn't even tried, really. It had just… happened. It was one of those funny things fate liked to pull.

After Timpani had left, he'd felt empty and devoid of love. Then in strolled these four children who'd deserved the world and gotten Hell. All he'd wanted to do was help, but in return, they'd helped him more than any of them would ever understand. Himself included.

He'd do anything to keep them happy. And if that meant that all four of them would be spoiled rotten then it was a price he was willing to pay.

 _ **A shortie, but a sweetie. I'm just not feeling a lot of inspiration today. So have some kinda-fluff-but-not-really. XD**_


	11. Chapter 11 Teeth and Pixies

**_Get ready for some feels, man._**

When O'Chunks' came home with a missing tooth, Bluemeire nearly had a panic attack. Teeth were supposed to stay _in the mouth._ Something was terribly wrong if body parts weren't where they were supposed to be. Had O'Chunks gotten in a fight? Had he started it? What did the other kid look like?

Luckily, Nastasia was able to calm him before his heart could stop entirely.

"Um, it's normal for kids to lose their baby teeth." She informed him. "Didn't you go through a period where your teeth fell out?"

"Yes, but I didn't know he had any lose teeth!" The Count cried, thoroughly exasperated.

He placed his head on his desk in a rather pathetic attempt to ease his headache. "What is one supposed to do if your child is getting into fights at school?"

"Um, I don't know." Nastasia attempted. "But we don't have that problem, Kay? So stop worrying."

Bluemeire peeled his face off his desk. "You are right, Nastasia." He heaved a breath and turned to his assistant. "We should go and join the children for supper, Count Bleck supposes."

{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{

The next morning O'Chunks woke up to find three dollars under his pillow where his tooth had been. Breakfast was full of chattering and speculation on what he could use his new found riches on. Mimi suggested a new shirt and Dimentio figured a set of bagpipes was a good investment. L brought them both down to earth by saying a candy bar was a bit more realistic.

Bluemeire smiled to himself as he walked back to his study. He paused in the portrait hall, looking up at _her_ picture. His smile saddened a touch, but it didn't fade entirely.

"You would have loved them, Timpani." He whispered to the painting. "You would have spoiled them even worse than I do. But… at the same time you would rule them with a firm hand. They would love you as much as you'd love them, my dear."

Gently, he stroked the cheek of the picture. "I miss you."

"Who's that?" a small voice asked.

He turned to see L just behind him, eyes fixed on the portrait. The Count brushed the sparse tears out of his eyes and cleared his eyes.

"If all had gone as it should have, she would have been your mother." He explained. "But alas, fate likes to play jokes on us all. She went missing about five years before I met any of you."

L looked from Bluemeire to the painting, then back again. He grabbed the Count's hand and pulled him into a sitting position on the ground. The small boy climbed into his lap and settled there before smiling up at him.

"Can you tell me the story?" He asked. "Please, it's not like I'll remember it too long anyway. I know it helps me to talk about… about my brother. Maybe talking about her will help you."

Bluemeire blinked, quite in awe at the unexpected wisdom coming from this small ten-year-old. He knew the Count was hurting. And had decided to help the only way he knew how.

He smiled softly. "What would you like to know?"

"Start with how you met." L said, without a hint of hesitation.

Bluemeire's smile widened. "Well, it all started about… oh, six years ago maybe. Perhaps it was closer to five or seven. I lose track. I had climbed up a tree to try and get away from my father's assistant. Uh, I was a rather… irrational youth at the time."

L giggled at that. "You climbed a tree?"

Bluemeire blushed. "Never mind that! I was telling a story. Anyway, it didn't take me long to fall out of the tree, and at the feet of a rather beautiful young woman, too. Of course, she thought I was trying to jump her and started hitting me with her purse.

"Once we had established that I was not trying to attack her, I took her out to dinner as a form of apology for scaring her."

"Dinner seems a bit extreme for just a 'sorry.'" L interrupted.

Bluemeire considered this. "Perhaps it was, but she was worth it in the end. We continued seeing one another over the course of about a month before she asked when I would ask her on an actual date."

L giggled again. "She sounds like Dimentio when he wants sweets."

The Count laughed at that. "Yes, she was always somewhat hard-headed. She was funny too, had a smile that could light up a room. She cared deeply about everyone around her, but wouldn't hesitate to unleash a whip-like tongue on those who deserved it."

He smiled fondly at the memory of Timpani soundly lashing a man with her words for making sexist comments.

"It wasn't until much later that I found out how much sadness she had had in her life." He continued. "You see, when she was very young she got into a relationship with a man who used her very badly. When he found out she was going to have his baby, he left her in the dirt. After she had the baby, her life was very hard. Her parents wanted her to get rid of him, but she refused.

"One morning she woke up and her son was gone. She looked all over, but couldn't find him anywhere in the city. She blamed her parents and left their house to search for him in other places. She never stopped looking for him, even after I proposed."

L looked at him in concern. "Did it bother you?"

"Hmmm? Oh of course not!" He waved an arm. "If I resented anything it was that she wouldn't let me help. She would always say 'No, Bluemeire. This is my battle to fight.' She was so stubborn sometimes."

"Why wouldn't she let you help?" L questioned.

Bluemeire thought a moment. "I think she thought if no one helped her it would be an even sweeter victory. …To be honest I can't know for sure. No one can ever really understand a woman's mind."

L nodded his agreement, thinking of how confusing a fully grown Mimi would be.

"So, what happened to her?" The ten-year-old asked.

Bluemeire's face dropped immedently. The hallway was silent for a long time before he spoke again.

"She left the house." He croaked, barely able to force the words out of his mouth. "She said she was going to the store to get some milk and she never came back. I never saw her after that. I don't _know_ what happened. The police couldn't find her. No one could. Eventually, everyone gave up. Even me."

L reached up and brushed the tears off Count Bleck's face. He gave a crooked half-smile.

"It'll be okay, Count Papa." He said gently. "You have us now. It may not be the same, but it's better than nothing."

Bluemeire felt every known emotion course through him at once. He wasn't sure if a minute or an hour had passed, but when it was over, his arms wrapped around L, squeezing the small boy as if he were the only good thing left in the world.

"Thank you." He whispered. "A million times thank you."

L returned his hug. "Your welcome." They pulled apart.

"Now let's go play. I need to do something before I have a long talk of my own." L told him, grinning.

Bluemeire grinned back and got up from the floor. He willingly followed L into the playroom, electing to spend time with the children rather than go back to work. It was the weekend anyway. Nastasia couldn't get too mad at him, right?

 ** _To all of you who thought I meant Tippi was a jerk no-mom: HA! JOKES ON YOU HER LIFE JUST SUCKS!_** ** _Hehehe... so...yeah, that happened. Please someone send me prompts. This is what happens when I'm left to my own devices too long. (This was actually two ideas smushed into one. I'm running low on ideas, peeps!)_**

 ** _This is not the angsty chapppie I've been teasing ya'll with, so keep watch for that. As chock-full of feels as this is, I'm still waiting for my beta's seal on those particular chapters. (Oops! Was that plural? ;))_**

 ** _Well...CIAO!_**


	12. Chapter 12 Blackout

_**Based on the prompt sent by the lovely**_ ** _Pikminfan. Physical proof that I can turn any fluff into angst._**

Nastasia typed furiously on her computer. With the Count away on some business expedition, it was up to her to finish all the paperwork in his absence. He had said to keep an eye on the children as well, but the mansion's staff, small as it may be, was more than capable of handling that for the most part.

That is, of course, until the power went out.

The secretary's first instinct was to curse the loss of her progress and her forgetfulness when it came to saving her work. She didn't have a lot of time to ruminate on this, though, as Mimi's terrified shrieks cut through the darkness.

Nastasia started to her feet and grabbed a flashlight from a nearby drawer. She didn't need it herself (the Count had gone through a period where he nearly refused to turn the lights on) but she'd need it as soon as she got to the children.

She ran down the hall, meeting up with a rather frantic Saffron. The cook tried to explain what had happened, but Nastasia couldn't hear her well enough to comprehend what she was saying.

They reached the kitchen, the source of the shrieking, and Nastasia turned on her flashlight. The light darted from side to side before a small mass hit the secretary in the stomach.

Mimi sobbed into the folds of her dress. "Nassy! Help! I-I don't like the d-dark!"

Nastasia stroked the young girl's hair, letting the nickname slide. "It'll be alright. Why don't we go and find your brother's, Kay?"

Mimi nodded and Nastasia turned to Saffron. "Um, I can take it from here, kay? You just see if you can find someone to fix the breaker, huh?"

The cook nodded. Nastasia gathered Mimi into her arms and started down the hall, making sure to leave the flashlight _on_. After the girl had calmed down a bit, she tried talking to her.

"So, um, what were you doing in the kitchen, Mimi?" She asked.

Mimi sniffled. "Saf was showing me how to make cookie bread. We were kneading the dough and then the lights all went out. I-It reminded me of the place I used to live… before the Count."

Nastasia nodded in understanding. "That's fair. But why were you screaming, hmmm?"

Mimi nuzzled further into the secretary's neck. "I don't know. I just started to do it and then I couldn't stop."

Nastasia didn't say anymore after that, mulling over the information she'd just been given. It made sense that Mimi would be scared of the dark, seeing as she'd been found in an alleyway be herself. Being on your own in the dark would be one of the most terrifying things at that age.

They found O'Chunks and Dimentio in the living room, both playing as though nothing was wrong. Dimentio had inexplicably suspended a flashlight in the middle of the room, and the two were building with Legos by the light of that.

Eventually Nastasia coaxed Mimi onto the floor with them, where she was immedently taken into O'Chunks' meaty arms. Dimentio rolled his eyes at such a blatant display of cowardice, but Nastasia noticed he hovered a bit closer to the girl once she joined them.

"Um, do any of you know where L is?" Nastasia asked.

Dimentio shrugged. "Last we saw him he was going to work on his robots. He was like a stubborn raccoon fixed on its meal."

"Oh. I'm gonna go find him. You all stay here, kay?" Nastasia instructed.

She left the room, scarcely remembering to take a flashlight with her for when she did find him. As she walked she occupied herself with thoughts on how a blackout could have occurred. There wasn't a storm. Could it have been possible they'd just had too much running at once? That seemed the most feasible explanation. But still… something didn't quite add up.

She reached L's room, slightly out of breath from jogging the whole way there. She knocked and pressed an ear to the door.

"L?" She called. "Are you in there?"

A shaky sob was the only response, but it was enough to get her through the door. She swept the beam of light over the room, finding L huddled in a corner near the bed. A few of his robot parts were scattered around him.

He was a mess. He was crying harder than Mimi had been, but it was so quiet you wouldn't notice it unless you were looking directly at him. His favorite green cap had been pulled down over his head, and he was crouching in a way that made it look like it covered his entire body, rather than just a small portion.

Nastasia crouched next to him and gently touched his shoulder. L started and looked up at her. There wasn't a hint of recognition in his eyes.

Oh great. He was having an episode.

"Who-who are you?" L asked in a panic. "Where's Malleo? Where am I? Why is it so… so dark?"

His voice grew quieter with each word. Nastasia's heart broke a little. He sounded so weak, so helpless. She was at a complete loss. The Count had always helped him whenever he got like …this.

She rubbed her neck awkwardly. "My name is Nast-Nassy. I, um, work for the man who owns this house."

L swallowed hard. "But …why am _I_ here?"

Nastasia chewed on her lip for a moment. "Well, you see… The man who owns this house adopted you some time ago, kay?"

The boy's breathing quickened. "What about Malleo? Did he get he get adopted too?"

"Yes. But, um, he wasn't adopted by the owner of this estate. So… he isn't… here."

Automatically, she realized saying that was a mistake. She could practically hear L's panic rising. His chest heaved from pumping air in and out of his body, his face went so pale it was nearly translucent in the dim lighting.

She reached out to pat his shoulder but he slapped her hand away. He curled up and pulled his hat further down his head.

"No. No, no, no, no, no." He whispered. "He promised we'd stay together always. He wouldn't let us get separated. He wouldn't… YOU!" the ten-year-old whirled on her. "You could have kidnapped me or something. Taken Malleo from me. Everything you could have just told me could be a lie."

He pointed a shaking finger at her. "You could be trying to kill me right now. Maybe worse."

Nastasia's eyes widened at the accusation. "L-I… I would never." She cleared her throat, electing to try again. "You-You live here with Count Bleck, who adopted you and three other children. Mimi, Dimentio, and O'Chunks.

"Mimi likes playing dress up, Dimentio likes magic tricks, and O'Chunks can fit an entire subway sandwich in his mouth." She listed. "The Count spends time with you whenever he gets a chance and he pretends he's a dictator without a heart, but he's really just an old softie. He does what he can to be as good a father he can to all of you.

"But he's a blind idiot most of the time, as hard as he tries. He can't see what's right in front of him even if it's staring him in the face. He appreciates what he has, but misses her no matter what I do, and I… I…"

Her own sobs cut her off. She hadn't even noticed when her attempt to prod L's memory had turned into a rant on her unrequited love. Good Grambi, when had she become so pathetic?

"Well, I guess you owe me three Pokémon cards, Chunky dear." A higher pitched voice called from the door.

L and Nastasia turned to see the other kids standing halfway in the room, Mimi perched delicately on O'Chunks shoulders. Dimentio was grinning in at them from the doorway. Nastasia blinked slowly.

"Um, what do you mean by 'he owes you.'?" She asked.

Dimentio flashed a grin that could rival the Cheshire cat's. "Well, you see Nassy, I bet Chunky here that if we got you riled up enough you'd confess your love for our beloved Count. The only problem, of course was getting you riled up enough.

"It's surprising how easy it is to get everyone in their places." He laughed and mimed plucking things out of the air and placing them elsewhere. "Have Mimi in the kitchen so when O'Chunks cuts the power you head in the opposite direction. That gives O'Chunks time to get back and Little Elly time to get in his own place. And me…

"I make the whole ordeal believable." He brushed his hands together, as if wiping them clean. "It made a real pretty picture, Nassy. Hope you'll be in on the next one. Now if you'll excuse us, we have some business to conduct. Ciao!"

He swept out of the room, seemingly not caring if the others followed him or not. They didn't but at this point Nastasia didn't care either. She was too far in shock.

Dimentio had orchestrated this whole event. And he'd done that simply to extract a confession. Nastasia renewed her thoughts on the young eight-year old. She had severely underestimated him. As well as his willingness to get whatever he wanted. Not to mention he'd coerced L into doing a perfect imitation of himself having an episode. Now _that_ took a bit of skill.

She felt a small hand touch her shoulder. She started and turned to L. The ten-year-old smiled bashfully.

"Ima sorry, Nassy." He apologized. "Mentio said he'd… well he asked me to help. I couldn't say no."

She smiled softly at him. "It's alright, just don't do that again, kay?"

L nodded vigorously. "No, never!"

"Good. Now, um, this was kind of a bad thing to do so, like, I should probably punish you all now." The kids' faces paled. "O'Chunks, go turn the power back on and meet the rest of us in the study. You're going to be writing lines for me, kay?"

The children groaned. They loved Nastasia, but sometimes she could just be the worst.

 ** _This did start as fluff, I swear! I'm not sure how it turned into Dimentio manipulating everyone, but considering who we're talking about, it isn't all_ that _surprising._**

 ** _Sorry I didn't update last night. I was writing a bit late and then life happened, so I also apologize if the last few paragraphs sound a bit awkward._**

 ** _Also, my lovely beta, HeartOfMankind, has asked that I stop mentioning her in my author's notes. So, I will try not to talk about her as much. Okay? Just to re-cap: I will no longer be mentioning my beta reader, HeartOfMankind, in my author's notes, even if she's a really good beta and doesn't (always) yell at me when I crack ship people and throw in a plot twist. Beta. :D_**


	13. Chapter 13 Clothes make the Man

_**Slightly inspired by this:**_ ** _post/139932495343/oh-my-god-i-cant-find-the-original-post_**

 ** _Here it as last, the first part of the long awaited angsty chappies. Enjoy._**

At age ten he was running around the house in a homemade cape with a paper towel roll stuck through his belt.

"Have at you, Magician!" He yelled. "The Green Thunder will save Lady Spider from your clutches!"

"Not if I have anything to say about it!" Dimentio cackled back.

Dimentio pulled out an empty paper towel roll and Mimi faked a wail from inside their makeshift castle. L pulled out his own paper towel roll and held it steadily in front of him.

The two dueled for a few minutes while Mimi simply watched in fascination. L had been a little worried she'd get mad at being the princess, because the princess didn't do a whole lot, but she seemed perfectly happy with just watching them.

L struck Dimentio's side, and the blonde retaliated by hitting the smaller boy square on the head. L rubbed the sore spot for a moment before continuing with the fight.

He stuck his sword in between Dimentio's arm and chest.

L grinned. "HA! Ah got you! You're dead now."

Dimentio rolled his eyes. "Not if my _dragon_ has anything to say about that!"

A long pause followed.

"I _SAID,_ not if my _DRA-GON_ has anything to say about it!"

There was a muffled "Oh, right." From behind the castle. O'Chunks burst out from his hiding place, Dimentio's pointed hat perched askew on his head for "spines."

L gasped then put on his brave face. "Dragons are nothing when you're fighting to save a fair maiden!"

Mimi made a show of swooning from her perch. She giggled when L winked at her.

L charged at the Chunky dragon while Dimentio sat on the ground, ready to enjoy the show. L bashed O'Chunks on the head, wrinkling his sword a bit on impact. O'Chunks roared and Mimi clapped, though L wasn't entirely sure who for.

O'Chunks swiped at him, though he was careful not to actually hurt him. L jumped to avoid the hand. It was a higher jump than he'd expected, and he ended up on O'Chunks' back. Seizeing the opportunity, He thrust his sword into the dragon's back, effectively killing the beast.

O'Chunks lay on the ground and L, after making sure he was alright, clambered off him. L then climbed up the walls of the castle and grabbed Mimi's hand.

"Hark!" He declared. "The Green Thunder has saved the fair Lady Spider from the evil clutches of the Magician! Good wins again! Evil has to do clean-up!"

"Why did we make that a rule?" Dimentio grumbled.

"Whay am ah alyways teh dragone?" O'Chunks asked.

L pondered this. Why was he always the dragon?

"Cause you're the biggest!" Mimi decided for them all.

L agreed that was a good reason. He climbed back down and sat beside Dimentio.

"I'll be evil next time.'' He told him. "That way you don't have to do clean-up."

Dimentio grinned at the shorter boy. "Oh don't worry. O'Chunks does most of it anyway. Besides, I _like_ being the bad guy!"

L chuckled and wrapped his green cape around him. He always felt stronger with it on and was very glad he wouldn't have to give it up. It was part of what made The Green Thunder, The Green Thunder. If The Green Thunder didn't have his cape… was he really a hero at all?

{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{[

At age sixteen he wore a long green scarf and all black clothes.

The buttons on his favorite green hat clicked as L made his way through the streets. Downtown Flipside was an entirely different city than its counterpart, hence its nickname of Flopside. To make it unbothered here you had to look like someone who no one wanted to mess with.

L had never thought himself to fit that criteria, but no one had stopped him on the street in a few months. Mimi said it was because he looked so tacky that no one wanted to associate with him. Dimentio had backed her up on that, while O'Chunks had actually made a helpful comment.

"Yeh look like teh 'ids 'ho 'ang out at teh back o' dah school. Teh one's 'ho listen ta dat weird 'usic an smoke 'igarretts."

This surprised L, as he'd never thought himself to dress that way. The next week at school he paid more attention to the "back-door kids", comparing their usual outfits to his own. It wasn't long before he was able to pick apart similarities between the two.

He, too, wore mostly all black, though paired with his bright green scarf and the hat he'd always had. Said hat was adorned with a few of the buttons he'd made out of random and leftover robot parts. He had a few piercings, sure, but most of that was due to Mimi.

She'd needed to get her ears re-pierced three times. Every time she was fine going into the building, but if you brought her close to the "scary poker thing" she would scream. The only way to get her to calm down was if L went first to show how little it hurt. Eventually he'd just left them in.

Of course, it wasn't until one of the "back-door kids" came up to him asking where he got said earrings that it really sunk in for L. Completely without his knowledge or bidding, he'd turned into a scene kid.

Not that that was a bad thing, of course. Over time the other scene kids became his best friends, which only added to the irony.

So now here he was, going downtown to grab some necklaces because Croacus had come up with the idea of matching ones. The nerd.

He was lost in these thoughts when he smacked into someone outside Dyllis' Restaurant. Both he and the other unfortunate soul fell to the ground, flat on their butts. L rubbed his head and cracked open an eye to look at the other person.

It was a brown-haired guy who looked a little older than him, but was definitely shorter and chubbier. He was wearing a red hat and some navy blue overalls, much like what L wore when he was a kid. Only L's had been in his signature shade of green, naturally.

L scrambled to his feet and helped the other boy up.

"I'm so sorry. I wasn't looking where I was going. I mean, I'm clumsy normally, but this is a little… I mean-"

"It's fine." The other boy waved him off. "I should have been looking out too. It's my fault as much as yours."

L smiled bashfully at the red-capped stranger. "At least let me buy you a small snack to make up for it."

"I never say no to snacks!" The stranger beamed and stuck out his hand. "Mario."

L accepted the proffered hand. "L."

Mario cocked his head to the side. "Just L?"

L nodded. "I have memory loss problems so that's all I can really remember most times."

Mario nodded slowly, as if it made sense but he didn't quite understand something else. L shifted on his feet. He was always a little sensitive about a few things, his name being one of them. Or in some opioins, lack thereof.

"So…" He tried. "How about that snack?"

Mario shook his head. "No. It's alright, really. I think I need to get going."

"Oh." L suddenly felt very, very small. "All right. I'll… uh… Me too! See you around, I guess."

Mario smiled at him, then ran off. Probably to tell someone about the weird kid with bad memory and a strange name. L tried hard not to let that sting. He tried to think of another reason why the other boy could've left.

Maybe he'd been to _Dyllis_ ' before and didn't like the food there. Or maybe he was lost and that's the only reason he was even in Flopside. Or maybe he'd had a Bluetooth L hadn't seen and had gotten a call alerting him that the enemy turtles were on his tail and that he shouldn't drag L into this mess with him.

Yeah, _that_ was what was going on. Sure.

L continued his walk to the jewelry store, now in quite a different mood than when he started. For once, L was acting just like his clothes sterotyped him as. A mood gothic kid who prefers to hang out in places as dark as he thinks his soul is.

Though maybe for him, soul could be replaced with memory.

 _ **I have discovered I can go from cute to angst in under ten seconds. It's amazing really.**_

 _ **So... doing a bit of exploration into Mr.L (or just L, here) as a character. I don't know why but i love the idea of him being a short little kid and then shooting up like "BOOM. Bean-pole child!" Also I find the idea of him slowly becoming a (for lack of better word) Goth kid without really noticing or even trying. He just likes how black and green look together, is that so wrong? Lol.**_

 _ **Who wants to know more about L's weird friend group? I'm thinking it will be a weird mix of gothic kids and nerds. Fraktail and Squirps will probably be involved, but idk just yet. Could be an interesting dynamic to explore.**_


	14. Chapter 14 Mario's Brother

_**Allow me to rip out and stomp on your hearts for a bit. Btw, this is likely the only chap your going to get from Mario's pov.**_

Mario had never wanted to get adopted like this. The Shrooms were nice, of course, but he couldn't make them understand that he and his brother came as a package. They didn't understand how much Luigi needed him, how much he needed Luigi. No, they didn't even look at Mario's brother.

By the time he did make the Shrooms understand, it was far too late.

"Luigi was a real person?" Mr. Shroom blinked in surprise. "We always figured he was your imaginary friend or something. I mean, the agency never mentioned that you _had_ a brother."

Toadette huffed. "I told you that place was seedy, Toad. I told you!"

"Yeah, yeah," Toad waved her off. "You told me. But we got bigger problems right now." He turned back to Mario, who was now thirteen. "We can try the agency, see if he's still there, you know. But… Well, just don't get your hopes to high, kiddo."

Naturally, of course, Mario ignored this advice. He envisioned meeting his brother again, playing out the entire scenario out in his head. He was positively bouncing on his toes when they reached the orphanage.

They went up to the front desk, Mario practically dragging the dome-headed man to talk to the woman there.

"Excuse me." The woman looked at Toad over her glasses. "We came looking for a particular child. Is there a Luigi Minky here?"

The woman typed on her computer a moment, presumably looking up the information, before answering with a short "No."

"Ah. Well can you tell me where we might could find him? If he's at another establishment or…"

The woman glared at Toad sternly. "Are you asking me to give out sensitive information on a child you just so happened to know the name of?''

Toad stammered for a bit, so Mario decided to take matters into his own hands. He peeked over the edge of the counter, being extremely short for his age, and gave the stern woman his best puppy dog eyes.

"Pwese ma' mm. Weegee's ma brother. Ah just want to find him again."

The woman's face didn't soften in the slightest, but she did return her computer. After a few moments typing she spoke again.

"Luigi Minky was adopted two years ago. He's no longer in our system, but from what I gather here it was a very trusted foster parent who'd already adopted three kids prior to Luigi. Looks like Luigi was the last one he took in, though." She paused. "That's all I can give you."

Toad offered her a smile. "That's enough. Thank you."

The man led a shell-shocked Mario out of the orphanage. Luigi was gone. He'd gotten adopted before Mario could come back for him. In all honesty, he should've expected as much. After all, his brother was a cute kid. The only thing holding him back most of the time were his memory problems.

Oh Grambi, his memory. Luigi couldn't remember anything without Mario there to remind him. Would he even remember Mario if they ever met again. Would they ever meet again?

Mario didn't realize he was crying until Toad scooped him up and carried him back to the car.

"It's okay to cry, Mario." He whispered. "There's nothing wrong with shedding a few tears, no matter who you are. Things get tough for all of us, and sometimes the struggle of it all falls out of our eyes and rolls down our cheeks. But that doesn't make us any less strong."

Mario clutched the folds of Toad's vest and sobbed. He cried and cried until there were no tears left. He'd lost a brother. And for all he knew, they'd never meet again.

{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{

Mario was seventeen now, and quite lost. He'd taken up his adoptive father's job of plumbing a few years ago, mostly doing odd jobs around Mushroom City and whatnot.

Unfortunately, his father had broken his foot last week, leaving Mario to do all the work until he was fully healed. Normally, this wouldn't be too big of a deal. This particular day, though, they'd gotten a request from a town far out of the City, one asking for them specifically. Merlin something or other.

And like a fool, Mario had forgotten the directions on the kitchen table. He was now completely lost in what looked like a rather unsavory part of whatever town he was in.

He was about to pull out his phone and ask Toadette to text him the instructions when he smacked into someone going the other direction, both of them falling flat on their bottoms. Mario looked in surprise at the person he'd run into.

It looked like some goth boy with a bright green scarf and a few piercings. Maybe a year or two younger than him, but defiantly taller. The other boy rubbed his head and cracked an eye open, revealing impossibly blue irises.

The other boy scrambled to his feet. "I'm so sorry!" He apologized. "I wasn't looking where I was going. I mean, I'm clumsy normally, but this is a little… I mean-"

He boy stammered, clearly flustered. Mario smiled and waved a hand in attempt to comfort him.

"It's fine. I should have been looking out too. It's my fault as much as yours."

The other boy smiled back, blushing a little at the scene they'd caused. "A-At least let me buy you a small snack to make up for it."

Mario grinned. "I never say no to snacks!"

He offer his hand to the strange boy. "Mario."

The boy accepted it hesitantly. "L."

Mario cocked his head. L? That was a strange name. L… Luigi started with L. Was it possible… No. Mario had gotten his hopes up one too any times to hope for that dream again. Besides, why would his brother shorten his name?

"Just L?" he asked.

L nodded, head ducking a bit. "I have… memory loss problems. So that's really all I can remember most times."

Mario couldn't feel his body anymore. He faintly noticed his vision bobbing and realized he must have been nodding. L was short for something. L had memory loss problems. L had brown hair and blue eyes. L looked like he was younger than Mario. Could it be? Was it possible?

How did one ask another person if they were adopted?

L said something and Mario shook his head in a vain attempt to clear it. He heard himself say something in reply, then saw L shrink into himself. Mario tried to smile at him, but felt his lips move on their own accord again.

Goodness to Grambi, sometimes it felt like someone was picking choices for him!

Mario almost saw himself turn on his heel and run away. Part of him screamed to go back, to exchange numbers, to get that snack and engage in conversation, to not mess this up again. But some stronger part of him, maybe it was fear, drove him to keep running.

He didn't look back, didn't think about the pain he might be causing a man who might be his brother. He just ran.

When he ran out of steam, he found himself outside a large, navy blue house with green trim. A man with a long white mustache forming a makeshift beard sat on the porch of it. He chuckled.

"I was told you had fast service, but I didn't expect you to run here."

Mario looked up at the man from between the now-wet fringes of his hair. "W-Wh-What?" he panted.

The man's eyes twinkled. "I trust you're the plumber from Toad's Plumbing? My name is Merlon, I sent for you?"

Mario blinked. Had he, by some miracle, accidentally found the house he's set out to find in the first place? What kind of day was he having?

 ** _GOOD QUESTION! Lol. why do I love torturing these poor boy's souls?_**

 ** _A person I'm not supposed to mention suggested the name Minky as their original last name. Why? IDK, go ask HeartOfMankind, whom I am not mentioning. CX_**

 ** _((OKAY BUT THAT THING ABOUT THE CRYING IS REALLY IMPORTANT! IF YOU EVER NEED TO CRY JUST TALK TO ME, I HAVE VERY GOOD SHOULDERS!))_**

 ** _Side note: I did some editing on, like, everything. Mostly grammer mistakes and cleaning up inconsistones. You can go back and look if you want, idc. Also, I'm not entirely sure how to "fix" them, so if you get an alert saying I updated 14 times today... yeah ignore most of those._**


	15. Chapter 15 Teach Me Sempi

"Come on." L whispered urgently. "Come on! YES!"

He tossed the controller on the ground and threw his hands in the air. Dimentio and O'Chunks sat on either side of him on the couch, both in varying stages of shock.

After much hard work and diligence, L had finally beaten both of them at Bash Sisters.

"Take that!" he crowed. "In your face! Who's the weakest fighter now? Who's the new Bashing champ? Give you a hint, the second one is me!"

He treated them both to a small victory dance before Dimentio tackled him from behind. The two boys rolled on the floor for a good few minutes, neither one exactly fighting, but both of them refusing to give up.

Finally, O'Chunks had had enough. He walked over a grabbed them both by the scruff of their necks, effectively separating them. He held one boy in either hand, far apart from each other. Luckily, they didn't squirm too much about it.

"How did you get as good as a laser on a mirror?" Dimentio fired at L.

L panted. "Lots of practice. And a couple of things looked up on the internet."

Dimentio got an odd expression on his face. "You did what?"

L blushed. "I looked some cheats up on the internet. Not a lot of them, just enough to make up for the skills I don't have."

Stars were practically forming in Dimentio's eyes. "Have I really taught you that well?"

L gave him a baffled look. "It had nothing to do with you! Unless you count beating you into the ground."

"Suuuure it didn't." Dimentio winked.

"It didn't!" L insisted.

"Whatever you say, Ellie!"

{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{

"No, no, no. That's all wrong. You have to stroke _upwards_ , kay?" Nastasia instructed.

Mimi nodded and complied, little more than dragging the makeup brush up across her cheekbones. Well, at least she was going the right direction now.

"Um, you might want to try doing it gentler."

Mimi furrowed her brow and tried one last time, getting it as close to perfect as could be expected for a seven-year-old. She beamed at the secretary, silently asking how she'd done that time. Nastasia nodded.

"That's _way_ better." She glanced at her watch. "I think that's, like, all the time I have today, so we'll continue the lesson next week, kay?"

Mimi nodded in agreement and Nastasia left the room. Idly, she marveled at how a simple question on which eyeshadow worked with the red dress had blossomed into weekly makeup lessons. She had even started studying new techniques just so she wouldn't run out of things to teach. What a soft-shell she was turning out to be.

 ** _Send me prompts or you'll get more half-baked stories like this. I'm running on empty people, only one of you is steadily reviewing. (Shout-out to the lovely_** ** _Pikminfan) Prompts and reviews please please please please! Even if you don't think it's a good idea, I'm sure I can warp it beyond recognition. Anything to get those juices flowing._**

 ** _In other news, I think I need to play this game again. Make sure everyone is still in character..._**


	16. Chapter 16 Getting to Know You

L walked down the city street, now hopelessly lost. Boomer and Slim had found a new restaurant a few days ago and insisted the rest of them try to find it. Unfortunately for L, he missed the day the rest of their group had gone. Not wanting to miss out, L had elected to find it on his own.

Which had only gotten him lost in the dankest part of Flopside.

Dimentio, who had tagged along for no reason whatsoever, was beside himself in laughter. He kept looking at street signs and laughing his head off. It was getting really annoying.

L looked up the street, contemplating which direction would be more likely to lead home. Dimentio cackled again and L turned to him, eyes rolling.

"Would you mind stopping that, Mr. Laughsannoyinglyallthefreakintime?" He snapped. "Some of us are trying to concentrate, here."

Dimentio snorted. "Concentrate on what? How to get us even more lost? Because let me tell you, you've already done a great job. We're as lost as a shimmery bug in an owl's forest."

L huffed and started walking again, turning down the left street. "So I forgot the directions on the table. That could happen to anyone."

"Yeah, but not everyone has _your_ memory, Ellie dearest." Dimentio reminded.

L stuttered. "Yeah, well… not everyone has your stupid hat!"

Dimentio laughed. "Oh wow, low blow that one!"

Dimentio was still cackling when L heard someone call his name.

"L? Is that you?"

He turned to see a chubby guy about his age in nearly all red walking up to them. He had a big grin on his face and was dragging a blonde girl behind him.

"Um… I'm sorry, my memory sucks. Do I know you?" L asked awkwardly.

The other guy's face didn't flinch, so much as fall for a moment. He recovered it quickly enough though.

"I'm Mario. We ran into each other a few weeks ago. Quite literally, actually." He laughed. It was a cheerful sound, as if he'd never heard of sadness and liked it that way.

"That sounds like our L, alright!" Dimentio piped up. "He's always running into things at home. He's like a distracted gazelle looking for the watering hole and ending up in the lion's teeth."

Mario and the girl with him tilted their heads while L just rolled his eyes.

"This is Dimentio." He jabbed a finger at his brother, who waved cheerfully. "He's a bit demented, but you get used to it. Family is family, right?"

"And you just make the cutest family, Ellie!" Dimentio reached up and ruffled L's hair, knocking his ever-present hat askew.

This only seemed to make Mario's confusion grow. "Family?" He questioned. "What do you mean by that?"

"Well you see, Mr. Mustache, Little L here is my little bro-bro." Dimentio grinned.

L glared at Dimentio and righted his hat. "I'm older than you. And taller."

"Yes, but I showed up first, so therefore, I am wiser and therefore I am older." Dimentio argued.

L's brow furrowed. "That's not how it works. That doesn't even make sense."

"So who are you?" Dimentio inquired, getting nearly in the face of Mario's friend.

"Oh! This is Peach Principessa." Mario introduced. "She's a good friend of mine."

Peach curtsied. "Pleased to meet you both."

L grabbed the scruff of Dimentio's neck and hauled him back. He smiled at Peach. "Pleased to meet you, too, ma 'mm. Sorry about Dimentio. _He doesn't know what personal space is._ "

Dimentio offered his most unsettling grin. "Oh, I know what it is. I just choose to ignore it. You can have more fun up close."

L, unfazed, turned back to the other two. "SO! What brings the two of you into town?"

Mario shifted his gaze from Dimentio. "Oh, nothing much. I didn't get much chance to look around last few times I was here, and I had a bit of free time. So I decided to stop by and take a grand tour."

"I've actually never been here before." Peach admitted. "I've heard some good things about Flipside and wanted to check it out myself. Although," she added with the barest hint of disdain. "It isn't quite living up to my expectations."

L gave her another small smile. "That'd be because this is _downtown_ Flipside. It's a rather unsavory part of the city. So much so that a lot of people have nicknamed it _Flop_ side."

Mario snickered. "That's clever."

L grinned back. "I know, right?"

"So why are you here?" Mario asked.

"Well…"

"Green-Bean here got us lost." Dimentio interjected. "We were headed to some new restaurant, and he left the directions on the table."

L flushed. "Honest mistake! It could happen to anyone!"

Peach giggled. "I'm sure, Mario here does it all the time. What's the name of the restaurant? Maybe we passed it."

L opened his mouth, then closed it. Dimentio twisted to face him and crossed his arms.

"You forgot it, didn't you?" It was more a statement than a question.

L's blush deepened and he flung Dimentio away from him. "Whatever. You know how my memory can get."

Dimentio straitened. "Indeed I do, Ellie. So how's about this for a plan. Instead of all of us wandering like blind Pokémon in the tall grass, why don't we all work together and try to find _Dyllis'_ , rather than a restaurant more unknown than a tropical bird to a Shetland pony."

The others nodded their agreement.

"Sounds like a plan." Mario declared.

They all started walking up the street together and Peach struck up a conversation with Dimentio. L and Mario walked awkwardly beside each other.

Memories of their last encounter tugged gently at the back of L's mind. He faintly remembered slamming into the other boy, before Mario had to run off for some reason. It was still fuzzy, though.

"So…" Mario started. "Does "L" stand for anything in particular?"

L shuffled his feet. "Yeah. It uh… It stands for… It's the first letter in my actual name. Like, my legal one."

"Which is…"

L swallowed. "Hey Dimentio?" the smaller boy turned. "What is L-"

"Luigi." Dimentio answered shortly before returning to his conversation.

L nodded. "Yeah. Luigi. That's what it says on the papers. Right." He exhaled slowly. "Right."

Mario tilted his head. "Luigi, huh?"

"Yeah, but trust me when I say I won't respond to it. I've gone by L for most of my life, so…yeah." He finished lamely.

Mario nodded in understanding. "I get it. Once everyone addresses you by a nickname, hearing your full name sounds weird. If it's your parents, it might even be a red flag."

L chuckled. "I don't know about that. Papa Count just calls me L for the most part. Then again, I don't really get into trouble that often. I leave that to the others."

"Oh? So you have other siblings?" Mario asked.

L nodded. "Yeah. There's me, Dimentio, our older brother O'Chunks, and our little sister Mimi." He ticked them off his fingers. "Then there's Papa Count's secretary, Nastasia. 'Course, we just call her Nassy, but whatever, right?" he chuckled. "We're quite the mismatched family. So how about you?"

Mario shrugged. "It's just me and my parents here."

"Ah. Well that's good too." L told him. "Truth be told, sometimes that sounds like heaven."

Mario got an odd look on his face. "Maybe so, but every now and then it'd be nice to have a little brother. You know, someone to relate to the way you and Dimentio do."

L laughed heartily. "Oh, I don't relate to him at all!"

Mario's brow furrowed. "But I thought-"

"The others yes, Dimentio no." L interrupted. "Dimentio is a manipulative jerk and he knows it. Worse yet, he owns it! He may be my brother, and I may love him, but I'm under no obligation to _like_ him. Not to mention he's more tsundre than anyone I've ever seen or heard of. Nah, I don't "relate" to him in the slightest."

Mario stared at L for a long moment before shifting his gaze to Dimentio. Could this small, absurdly dressed kid really be so manipulative that his own brother didn't like him very much?

"Don't get me wrong." L corrected. "I do care about him a lot. He is still my brother, after all. His methods for… well everything, just leave a bad taste in my mouth. I much prefer the taste of pasta, thank you."

Mario looked back at L. "You like pasta?"

"I love it!" L exclaimed. "I may not be able to remember things all the time, but my taste buds don't change."

"Me too! The loving pasta, I mean. Which do you like better, spaghetti or lasagna?"

"Oh, spaghetti for sure. Though, not much can beat a nice alfredo."

"Amen to that!" Mario exclaimed.

The two of them talked about pasta the rest of the walk, occasionally dipping into other foods such as salads and breadsticks, but for the most part sticking in the noodles.

A rather loud "AH-HA-HA!" interrupted their angel hair versus Capelli d'angelo debate.

Dimentio stood in front of them, hands on his hips and looking quite proud of himself. Just behind him was a drab, gray-purple building with a neon sign reading _Dyllis'._

"I told you we'd find it eventually." Dimentio crowed. "Like lost lambs coming back to their shepherdess, we have made it at last!"

L rolled his eyes at the metaphor while Mario and Peach just chuckled.

"Should we go in?" Mario asked.

L glanced at his watch. "No, Dimentio and I should really be heading home. I told Papa Count we wouldn't be gone for too long."

"Awwww!" Dimentio whined. "But we didn't get anything to eat! And I promised Mimi I'd bring her back something sweet."

L cocked an eyebrow. "Did you now? That's news to me."

Dimentio's grin didn't falter, but something seemed to pass between the two of them. A sort of understanding, but at the same time an accusation. Dimentio cleared his throat.

"Yes, well… Perhaps those were not her exact words." He amended.

"Uh-huh." L rolled his eyes. "Let's go home. Nice seeing you again, Mario. And nice meeting you, Peach."

"Likewise." Peach waved.

"See ya around!" Mario called.

As soon as the other two were out of earshot, Mario turned to Peach. He was bouncing slightly as he grabbed her shoulders.

"It's him, Peach. It really is! It's _Luigi_. My Weegee. _L_ _is_ _him!"_

Peach carefully detached herself from the excited plumber. "Really? Are you sure, Mario?"

"Positive!" He screeched. "His full name is Luigi. Dimentio mentioned arriving first, which could imply adoption. Not to mention, the biggest piece of evidence, he loves pasta! His love for pasta might even rival my own. There's no way it _can't_ be him!"

Peach crossed her arms dubiously. "Actually I think there are several ways. Remember the Lewis Clarkson incident?"

Mario dismissed her last comment. "This isn't like that time. This time I have evidence." He grabbed her hand urgently. "He has memory problems, Peach. _Memory problems._ To the point that he had to ask Dimentio what his full first name was."

Peach frowned. "I'll admit, it does like he could be who you've been looking for. But just…" She sighed. "Just don't get your hopes up, okay? Even if he is your long-lost brother there's no guarantee _he'll_ remember _you_. In fact, evidence would seem to suggest the opposite. Don't rush in blindly, Mario. I-I don't want to see you get hurt."

Mario pulled away and looked in the direction the other two had walked away in. "I won't, Peach. I'll try really hard not to. Promise."

They stood there a long moment before he turned back to her.

"Do you think Toad would be willing to let me move here with Merlon?" He asked. "I mean, the guy's weird, but he's a high paying customer. Not to mention the collage here is great and I will be graduating soon…"

Peach threw her arms in the air. "I give up!"

She marched into the restaurant, Mario scurrying behind her, still protesting his case.

 ** _Another chapter inspired by the lovely_** ** _Pikminfan. Thanks to those of you who also sent prompts. I promise I'll get to those next, this one was just easier for today._**

 ** _Sorry for going MIA yesterday. I needed a bit of a breather. On the plus side, this AU now has a tumblr! Me and The-Beta-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named created it the night before last. Ya'll can get on there, ask us questions, submit headcanons, ask the characters questions, or just read whatever doesn't/can't be put on here. The name is .com. Look us up!_**

 ** _Anyway, ciao for now, my lovely readers!_**

 ** _((P.S: Principessa is Italian for Princess. Blame the not-me one.))_**


	17. Chapter 17 Magic Tricks

_**Hello late updates my old friend.**_

The fourth of July was officially Mimi's favorite day of the entire year. It wasn't the history content. That was yucky. The fireworks were okay, but they were far from the best part of the day.

No. The best part was that is meant she was a whole year older. And _that_ meant presents!

Mimi bounced into the dining room eagerly, ready for whatever the day had in store. She sat at the table near where Dimentio, the current only other occupant, was sitting. He seemed to be in deep concentration, but she couldn't tell what on. All he was doing was staring at a spoon.

"DIMMY!" She shrieked at him. "Do you know what today is?"

He dropped his spoon and eyed her in annoyance. "No. I do not. What day could possibly have you as riled up as a gieuna pig in a turning wheel?"

"It's my BIRTHDAY!" She squealed and grabbed him around the neck.

None to gently, he detached her. "So?"

"So? So! I'm seven now. I'm officially a big girl now." She jammed her thumb at her chest, a move L had taught her. "Not to mention there'll be a party tonight. With cake and streamers and presents and everything!"

Dimentio rolled his eyes. "So?"

Mimi huffed. "So you should be excited, you big dummy!"

He shrugged. "Why? It's not my birthday, so why should I care?"

Mimi blinked. "Why because… because- because you just should!"

Dimentio climbed down from his chair, a smile playing on his lips. "Nope, sorry. Not a good enough reason."

"B-but-but don't you care about me at all?" Mimi sniffled.

Dimentio shrugged again, smile widening. "Dunno. Can't say I do for sure, really. Hmmmm… maybe-nah!"

He ran cackling from the room, while Mimi's sniffling only increased. Did Dimentio really not care for her at all? But he was her big brother, weren't big brothers supposed to care about their sisters?

"Don't worry about him." L came up behind her and slung an arm around her shoulder. "At the end of the day, he's nothing but talk."

"E's nothin' bu' hot air." O'Chunks pat her shoulder. "Le's gest focus on yer birthday, and ferget 'bout 'Mentio."

Mimi offered them a small smile. "Okay."

Her brother's smiled back. L clapped his hands together. "So what do you want for breakfast, Miss Big-girl?"

"PANCAKES!"

{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{

They didn't see Dimentio until the party that evening. Luckily, it didn't seem to faze Mimi in the slightest. L thanked Grambi for small blessings.

The day itself had been pretty great as far as the six-turned-seven year old was concerned. She'd gotten L and O'Chunks to go shopping with her and had gotten herself several new dresses, as well as a scarf.

When they got back, Nastasia, the Count, and the staff had the party all set up. Mimi was absolutely thrilled when she saw the bright balloons and colorful streamers. Even more so when she saw the ginormous cake. It was three tiers high and decorated with yellow buttercream frosting and pink roses made of spun sugar.

Seated at the far end of the table, nearly hidden by all the presents was the jerk-jester himself. He looked like he'd rather be anywhere then where he was just then. The others elected to ignore him.

When they'd all had their fill of cake, it was time for presents. Mimi ripped open every package in wonder and delight. Her favorites were the handbag from L, the charm bracelet from O'Chunks, the makeup brush set from Nastasia, and the gold necklace from Count Bleck that had her name in swirly letters.

Her least favorite gift was the pair of socks from Dimentio.

She'd reached what she thought was the end when Nassy did a double-check under the table. She pulled out a large, long package from underneath it.

"Um, it's not signed." She informed the group. "Is this from you, Count?"

The Count stroked his chin. "Bleck does not recall. It would make the most sense, though."

Nastasia shrugged and handed it to Mimi. She was more careful with this one than she had been with the others. It was a mystery present, and mystery presents were to be handled with care.

Slowly, she unveiled a huge makeup case. It was capable of holding nearly twice the amount makeup that she already had, and had more than ten pocket-looking things to hold it all. It was a beautiful pink shade but sparkled with green wherever the light hit it.

Everyone gaped at it. The Count and Nastasia turned to each other as the children, sans Dimentio, fawned over it.

"Did you get it for her?" Nastasia asked.

"No. Count Bleck thought it was you."

L overheard them and thought a moment. He knew _he_ hadn't gotten her the makeup case. He didn't have that kind of cash. O'Chunks seemed the next most likely option, especially considering it wasn't signed, but he didn't have that kind of money either. And if it wasn't the adults, than who...

He snuck a glance at Dimentio. The eight-year-old was sneaking glances over at them, but not in a way that was silently asking to join in. No, he was watching Mimi, glancing at her face and twisting his face into what was probably a repressed smile.

L repressed a smile of his own. Mystery solved.

{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{[[[[[[

"I know it was you." A voice behind Dimentio declared.

The trainee magician turned to see L smirking behind him. What was he doing here? Everyone else had already gone out to see the fireworks. Dimentio smiled innocently.

"You know what was me?" He asked.

L's smirk broadened. "I know you got Mimi the makeup case. It was obvious from the way you were looking at her while she was opening it."

Dimentio's grin faltered. "N-No. I w- I would never dare _touch_ anything so girly and disgusting. I mean- honestly!"

"Says the guy wearing a dress." L pointed out.

Dimentio's eyes narrowed. "It's a poncho."

"Eh, Tomato pa-tah-toe."

Dimentio huffed. He turned back to his bedroom door and pulled out the key.

"Oh, come on, Dimentio. You know all _our_ secrets, it's only fair that one of us know one of _yours_."

"It's not a dress!" Dimentio growled.

L chortled. "No, no, no. Not that. The secret you seem intent on hiding, even though letting it out would do you a world of good. That you care."

Dimentio glanced at him from the corner of his eye. "Are you gonna go all sappy movie quotes on me now? Because I think we both know I'm not "changing my ways" anytime soon."

"Oh don't worry. I plan on keeping this our little secret." L winked. "Wouldn't want to ruin your lowly reputation."

He started walking down the hall. Dimentio trembled for a moment before turning to L.

"L, wait!"

The older boy turned back, head tilted. Dimentio faltered. What did one say in situations like this?

"Urm… Thanks." He said finally.

L smiled. "Don't mention it."

 ** _Further proof that Dimentio is as_** ** _tsundre as heck. I had originally planned on him doing tricks at the party thing or something, too, but it didn't pan out._**

 _ **Why do I feel like L is weirdly OOC in this chapter? Ah well, I'm sure it'll be clear in the morning. It'll probably be glaringly obvious and I'll hit myself over the head twelve times.**_

 _ **Anywho... thanks to**_ ** _AmberAngelle for the prompt!_**


	18. Chapter 18 Don't Try This at Home

Chapter Twenty-One: Influences on our Children

 _"See Mom, I told you they weren't there. I told you!" Candace exclaimed, proudly showing her mother to the backyard._

 _There was a faint rustling and their mother stuck her head through the gate. "Hi boys!''_

" _Hi mom." Phineas called back._

 _The boy were now in their previous spots underneath the tree. Candace's eyes bugged out. She started repeating "but, but, but" serval times as their mother dragged her away._

 _Kids started falling from the tree in the backyard, rollercoaster cars still smoking in the branches. As the kids finished their compliments, the cars exploded, taking half the tree with them._

Dimentio burst out laughing, startling his siblings.

L raised his eyebrow. "Care to share with the rest of the class?"

"The cars!" Dimentio wheezed. "It- it just- FHOOM!" He cackled, rolling around as if it were the funniest thing he'd ever seen.

L rolled his eyes. "Yeah, but it didn't do that for any good reason. There was no fuel or anything in the actual cars. Thus, no reason for it to have exploded."

Dimentio rolled over to face L from his place on the floor.

"Perhaps, but you can't deny the sheer humor of things randomly blowing up."

"I can when it doesn't make any sense." L huffed.

"Oh, like you could do any better." Dimentio drawled.

"I think he could!" Mimi piped up. "We've all seen your robots, L. Who's to say you couldn't build a roller coaster?"

"The laws of physics." L stated plainly. "Also, I think you're missing the point, Mi."

"I'll bet you can't." Dimentio grinned.

L blinked. "What?"

"I'll bet you can't." Dimentio reaffirmed.

He stood up and stood very nearly in L's face.

"I _bet_ you that you can't build a functioning roller coaster by this time tomorrow. If you _can't_ you have to be my servant for the day. If you _can_ I'll be yours. Sound good?"

L barely had time to open his mouth before Mimi answered for him.

"He'll do it!" She declared.

"Mimi!" L exclaimed.

"What?" She lowered her voice to a whisper. "How often do you get an opportunity to have Dimmy as your personal slave?"

L exhaled slowly. She had a good point. This kind of thing didn't crop up often, but was the risk really worth it? Who knew what Dim would have him do if he had free reign.

"Alright then!" Dimentio clapped his hands together. "Care to shake on it?"

He stuck a hand out. Hesitantly, L grabbed it.

"So…" L started. "Do I have to do it all by myself or...?"

Dimentio considered this. "Well, Phineas has Ferb to help him with things… Why don't you wake up O'Chunks and get his help?"

L shrugged. "Alright, a little brawn never hurt anyone."

He hopped off the couch and crossed to the recliner, which O'Chunks had filled quite comfortably. L tapped him on the shoulder and he snorted awake.

"Hey, you wanna help me build a roller coaster?" L asked.

O'Chunks blinked blearily. "'Kay."

With that the two head out into the backyard to start building.

{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{

"Nastasia?" Count Bleck asked from his study. "Does it seem usually quiet to you?"

"I set the kids down in front of the T.V. They should be alright for a bit." The secretary responded via inter-com.

"Hmm." Bluemeire hummed.

Something didn't sit right. It felt too quiet. Call it Dad-Sense, but he had a feeling this silence wouldn't last long.

{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{

 _"Deer teeth! For you kid!"_

 _Bill dumped the collection of teeth into Gideon's hands. Gideon dropped them moments after they touched his hands._

" _You're insane!" the child physic exclaimed._

" _Sure I am, what's your point?"_

"That guy is a genius!" Dimentio exclaimed. "I mean, deer teeth? Talk about taking people by surprise."

"You're a maniac." Mimi muttered.

"Sure I am, what's your point?" Dimentio grinned at her.

Mimi's eye roll was interrupted by the sound of drilling. The two crossed to the window to see L and O'Chunks starting to build the rollercoaster.

"Huh. I guess they started already." Mimi commented.

Dimentio grabbed her hand. "Let's go watch!"

"And by watch I assume you mean taunt?" She asked.

"Well, yeah. What else were we gonna do today?"

Mimi considered this. "Fair enough, but we've done that."

Dimentio crossed his arms. "Well do _you_ have any better ideas?"

Mimi looked back at the T.V and practically felt the light bulb go off above her. She ran over to the television and tapped the screen.

"That!"

Dimentio raised an eyebrow. "Enter our guardian's mind to prevent his mind from being ravaged by a lunatic?" He asked. "Cause lemme tell you, that's not gonna work."

Mimi shook her head. "No. Let's go into the woods and look for fairies!"

Dimentio scoffed. "Fairies? That's sissy stuff."

Mimi cocked an eyebrow. "And yet when I was trying out my face paint kit you didn't take the makeup off for a week."

Dimentio paused. "So where are we going to even find fairies?"

Mimi smiled victoriously.

"I have a book like that upstairs." She explained.

He shrugged. "Alright. Let's grab it and get going."

{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{[

From his study at the other end of the house, Count Bleck faintly heard the sound of a power drill.

"Ah." He muttered to himself. "There it is."

He quietly went back to signing papers.

{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{

"Ah got the stuff, L." O'Chunks called to his brother.

L was currently standing on the half-built arch of a roller coaster. He smiled down at O'Chunks.

"Good. We're making good time." He called back. "You got the peanut butter?"

The red-head held up a rather large tub of peanut butter. "Right 'ere."

"Great! I'm not sure what we'll need it for, but they used it on the show. SO I'm sure it has some use."

"I may have ea'en 'alf of it." O'Chunks admitted bashfully.

L waved a hand dismissively. "That's all right. We shouldn't need that much. Hand me up those lug nuts, would you?"

{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{[

Dimentio grumpily swatted a mosquito off his arm. "Mimikins, as much I love trekking through the woods like a sprouting mountain goat, I have to wonder if you have any actual idea where we're going."

He waited for a moment, but got no response. He repeated her name. Frustrated, he swatted one of her pigtails.

"Mimi!"

She turned, taking out one of her earbuds. "What?"

Dimentio gawked at her. "You had music this whole time?" he crossed his arms, pouting. "Well thanks for sharing."

Mimi shrugged. "You wouldn't like it anyways. It's Broadway. A dummy like you wouldn't be able to appreciate it."

Dimentio's anger bubbled. "Do you even know where we are? Because from the way I see it, we're as lost a Cubacabra in an Artic church house on a Tuesday!"

"That doesn't even make sense!" Mimi shot back. "And of course I know where we are. We've only been walking for five minutes!"

"Oh? And what about where we're going, genius?" Dimentio asked.

Mimi showed him her book. "It says fairies are found in clearing or mushroom rings, so we just gotta find one of those."

"Uh-huh. And where do you propose we find one of these rings, Miss In-My-Room-All-The-Time?"

Mimi wrinkled her nose. "L's been teaching you insults again, that really stunk."

"It did not!" Dimentio growled.

"Did too!" Mimi shot back. "Now then, as for where to find a mushroom ring…"

She paused. It was a fair question, but there was no way on earth she'd admit that she didn't know what she was doing.

"Um…OBVIOUSLY mushroom rings are more common in the north side of the forest, so we should start heading that way."

"Right…" Dimentio said dubiously, drawing out the I for longer than should have been possible. "And which way is north, hmm?"

"Um…" Mimi looked in each direction, trying not to look frantic. "This way."

She struck out in a randomly selected direction, Dimentio following reluctantly.

{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{[[[[[

"Um, sir?" Nastasia entered the study hesitantly. "There's an awful lot of noise outside and the kids aren't watching T.V anymore. Do you think we should check on them?"

Bluemeire looked up from his paperwork. "Count Bleck has heard. It is a lot of noise, but Count Bleck is sure they are just playing. It is normal for children. Could you find the file for the Marquises of Lineland? I'm supposed to have a meeting with her this Thursday."

"But Count!" Nastasia protested. "I keep hearing tools, like power drills and hammers. That isn't exactly a safe pastime."

Bluemeire waved a hand dismissively. "Oh, the Count is sure it's nothing to worry about. If they get hurt, they will come for help. It is fine."

"But-"

"Listen. They are out of the way, not bothering us, and so far, not hurt. Do YOU want to disturb them?" The count stared hard at her.

Nastasia thought hard. "I'll go find the Marquises' file."

{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{

L stood back. "It's coming along nicely," He crooned. "We're almost done!"

"An' tha sun is only jus' settin!" O'Chunks grinned. "'Ake THAT 'Mentio!"

L returned the grin. "I think we're ready to put the carts on it now. Let's go!"

O'Chunks hopped off the loop he'd been resting on and followed L to the front yard. Promptly two seconds after they'd left Mimi and Dimentio came crashing through the front yard, followed by a herd of angry looking beavers.

"You had to poke it, didn't you!" Dimentio yelled at his sister between breaths.

"For the last time," Mimi shouted back, "I was trying to get peanut butter out of his tennis ball!"

"Yeah? And look where that got us!"

They made it into the house, slamming the screen behind them. Not that the beavers seemed to care anymore, they were far more preoccupied with the newfound source of dam material. The largest beaver chittered to the others. The beavers broke the roller coaster down into carriable bits, and left, leaving hardly anything behind.

Cautiously, Dimentio opened the screen door and stepped out, Mimi close behind him.

"I guess… I guess their gone." Mimi whispered, peeking out from behind Dimentio's poncho.

He nodded. "As gone as a wilder beast in a snowstorm."

Mimi narrowed her eyes. "Okay, that makes even less sense than the one from earlier."

"WHAT HAPPENED?"

They whirled to see O'Chunks and L, the former carrying two coaster carts on his shoulders. The latter nearly glowing with rage.

"I leave for two a-minutes," L growled. "And-a you two JUNIORS come through and-a wreck EVERYTHING!"

Dimentio swallowed and offered a shaky smile. "C-Careful Ellie. Y-Your accent is slipping out more than a snail in the rain."

L snapped. "If this is-a your idea of-a a joke, let-a me to tell you that it isn't-a very funny!"

"NO! No, no, no, no, no." Mimi rushed in front of Dimentio, eyes wide. " _We_ didn't do this."

"Then who _did_?" L snarled.

She stammered. "Um, well… you see-"

"It was beavers!" Dimentio interrupted. "We went into the woods to look for Mimikin's 'fairies' and through a series of rather complicated events, we ran into some rather unpleasant rodents. Who then chased us all the way back here, then broke it into pieces and carried it off into the sunset."

L blinked twice. "That is the single stupidest lie you have ever told me. O'Chunks, drop the carts, we're gonna tell Nassy."

Dimentio and Mimi's jaws dropped. "Bu-But it's the truth." Mimi protested.

"Yeah, and thanks to your so called 'beavers' I lost the bet."

"Man, what a sore loser." Dimentio muttered.

{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{

Approximately three minutes later Count Bleck was face to face with four children, two muddy and picking twigs out of their hair, and the other two in oil-stained coveralls. And one of them in a near-fiery rage.

The Count sighed and took off his monocle. "What did you all do this time?"

{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{

 _ **WHAHAHAHA! QUILL IS BACK, BABY!**_

 _ **In all seriousness, this has been sitting in my docs for… a year? Two? How long has it been? ANYWAY, I probably wouldn't have finished it if it wasn't for a completely random Guest reviewer who really touched me and asked me to keep going. …AHEM, anyway… Thank you all for patience over however long it's been. I just got dried up. If you look closely you can see where the writing style changes. O-O**_

 _ **I think you could tell where I got the inspiration from here, so I won't bother. But let me just say, from the bottom of my heart: If you are still here reading this, thank you.**_ __


	19. Chapter 19 What Was the Plan Agian?

L sped through the house, Dimentio close behind. O'Chunks had gotten separated from them somewhere along the way, but when L tried to go back for him Dimentio ushered him on.

"Better him than us." He'd wheezed. "We're too cute to get squashed!"

Though it hadn't sat right, L had kept running. O'Chunks was slow, but he was tough. It didn't hurt that he was Mimi's favorite brother, either. He'd be the only one she might go easy on. Might.

Strictly speaking, breaking her favorite case of shadow had been an accident. Dimentio had been testing his new pully system as O'Chunks and L walked through the door, upsetting the entire process. Which, of course, poised the bowling ball from over the basket of eggs, to over Mimi's make-up bag. It had taken less than two seconds of seeing the shattered plastic for the boys to take off running down the hall. Their sister couldn't be too far behind.

Dimentio gestured wildly to a door on their left and L nodded, kicking it open. They both sprinted in, Dimentio shutting and locking the door behind them.

"Let us hide here until she's as cool as a winter breeze." Dimentio suggested between breaths.

"Agreed." L confirmed.

While they caught their breath the two boys looked around. Bookshelves lined the right wall, while on the left a single book was left displayed. On the wall opposite the door was a large, dark wooden desk with a plushy leather chair between it and numerus file drawers.

L furrowed his brow. "I don't think I've ever been in here."

"I have," Dimentio admitted. "Once. When I first got here. This is dear County's office."

L's eyes widened. No wonder he'd never seen it before. As kids, they had largely been warned away from entering their father's office. Nastasia had always taken over for him when he was in it, or taken them to his study anytime they needed to see him. The office was a sacred place which children couldn't disturb. The fact that Dimentio had been here before… well it was more than a little surprising.

L walked over to the display case. The book inside was bigger than his head, bound in black leather with a large blue jewel in the center.

Count Bleck had weird taste sometimes.

Not finding it furtherly interesting, L wandered over to stand next to Dimentio, who'd seen fit to shuffle through the files. L peered over his shoulder. A name flashed by his eyes and he stopped Dimentio's flying hands.

"Look." He murmured.

Dimentio lifted the file. The words _Paper County Development Plan- Outline_ greeted them in professional handwriting. They looked at each other, brows slowly knitting together.

"We should open it." Dimentio suggested, unhesitant.

"No." L shut down quickly. "That's Papa Count's folder. We shouldn't even be in here, let alone reading his files!"

Dimentio rolled his eyes. "You worry like an old lady in a nursing home. It's not like he's gonna know! He's gone for the weekend, remember?"

L narrowed his eyes. " _No_."

A loud thud on the door stopped the argument from progressing further.

"Meanies!" Mimi shouted on the other side. "I know you're in there! Come out and take it like women!"

When L turned back to Dimentio the file was gone. "Should we head out there?"

Dimentio swallowed hard. "If we don't…"

He trailed off, but L knew what he meant. By the sound of Mimi's voice, she was two steps away from calling in Nastasia, who would likely drag the boys out herself and punish them for both the makeup case _and_ going into the office.

L nodded. "Let's go."

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Mario absently rubbed some oil from his hands as he walked into Merlon's parlor. It had become routine for Merlon to offer the plumber tea and biscuits after a job well done. And there had been _lots_ of jobs to be well done. The house Merlon and his assistant, Tippi lived in seemed to be continually run down, to the point of something breaking down every other day.

Mario helped as much as he could, and though he couldn't do as much as he'd like, he'd become good friends with the retired librarian and his friend.

Merlon greeted the plumber with a warm smile as he entered the parlor.

"All done, then?" He asked.

Mario returned the smile, settling into an armchair. "Yup! The pipes are unclogged, and the cabinets aren't squeaking anymore. So you shouldn't hear anymore strange sounds in the middle of the night."

"Mario you truly are a hero!" Merlon chuckled.

The plumber laughed. "Oh I wouldn't go that far. I just do what I need to. Nothing no one else wouldn't do, if they had the power."

"I beg to differ," Merlon sighed. "Many people would take one look at an old man like me in a house like this and decide I'm better off in a retirement home."

Merlon smiled again, corners of his eyes crinkling. "So when I say you are a hero, it is only because I truly mean it."

Mario rubbed the back of his head, trying to think of a good response. Thankfully, he was spared from the need by Tippi walking into the room with the tea tray.

She smiled at the red-capped plumber. "Everything fixed then?"

Mario nodded again and Tippi's smile brightened.

"Good! Maybe I'll finally be able to get a good night's sleep." She joked.

Merlon scoffed, rolling his eyes. "Just because I sleep like the dead, that does not mean every little inconvenience prevents _you_ from sleeping."

"Just because _you_ can sleep through anything…" Tippi sniffed.

The silence held for two full seconds before all three of them burst into laughter.

 _This_ was why Mario loved it here. No matter what imagined conflict arose, the two could never be mad at each other for long. Though they were too apart in age for the affection to be romantic, no one would ever doubt that they were good friends.

It was a far cry from whenever Mario was at school, constantly getting into fights with Bowser and the like, most of the time to help Peach out. It didn't help that the Toads saw his actions as… slightly less than heroic. The peace of Merlon and Tippi's friendship was a welcome change from things in Mushroom City.

After the laughter quieted, Tippi seemed to remember something.

She cried out and pulled some papers from a nearby table. "I forgot to show you, Merlon. Look at this."

She thrust the papers into Merlon's hands. The old librarian surveyed them for a long minute before throwing them onto the table.

"Unbelievable!" He exclaimed.

"I know." Tippi affirmed quietly.

Merlon continued as if she hadn't spoken. "If that blasted Count thinks he can get away with this he's got another thing coming. Trying to tear up the whole neighborhood just for some half-baked money rake-in!"

Mario nearly choked on his tea, burning his throat in the process. "Wh-What?"

Tippi placed a hand on Merlon's shoulder, and all the anger drained out of him, giving way to tiredness.

He sighed. "I suppose you might as well know. A man named Count Bleck has made it his life's goal to turn our town, and those that surround it, into the biggest amusement park ever seen. Flipside, Lineland Town, Gloam Valley, Fort Bitland, Spazio Esterno, Crag, and Sammer, all of Paper County will be razed to the ground if the Count gets his way."

Mario sat there, rather shocked. An entire County wiped off the map because of one man's will? It hardly seemed possible. It was worse than anything he'd heard before. No one should be allowed to get away from that. No one.

"Can't someone do something?" He asked.

Tippi sniffed. "If anyone did, they couldn't get very far. The Count has a team of lawyers bigger than the populous of Spazio Esterno. Not to mention his hired thugs and the brutish little _minions_ he calls his children."

Mario thought a long moment. "I don't suppose either of you have been to law school?"

Merlon shook his head. "I was a born librarian since birth, and Tippi here… well-"

"If I had been to law school, it all would've been lost with the rest of my memory years ago." The woman finished for him.

Mario hesitated. "Do you know when they're starting development?"

"First he has to buy up all the properties, then get everything re-zoned," Tippi listed. "At the rate he's going it couldn't be more than ten years."

Mario was silent a long while, thinking on that. The idea he was forming was ludicrous, and very possibly insane. But it might be the county's last hope of keeping their homes. Not to mention there was no way in the Underwhere he would stand by and let this happen.

"I have… an idea." He told them tentatively. "My friend Peach is going through law school now. When she gets out she'll be a fully-fledged lawyer, with all the trimmings. She's got… maybe two more years left? Anyway, she has a good heart and a strong head. If there's a way to fix this, she'll know it.

"And our… acquaintance, Bowser has this gang. It's got enough members that it could probably at least rival the Count's goons. It's just a matter of getting them on board, really, and Bowser would do anything for Peach so… I guess what I'm trying to say-"

Tippi tackled him in a hug, cutting off any further explanation.

"Thank you." She whispered. "Thank you so much. Everyone's been cowering in fear or buying into his falsehoods. They all keep waiting for someone else to- oh Mario!"

She squeezed him tighter. Startled, Mario hugged back.

"I-I can't make any promises, you know." Mario told her. "It isn't depending on me, it's on other people."

"But you're _trying_." Her voice trembled. "That's more than anyone's done yet."

Mario smiled. It would work out. He'd try as hard as he could, and he'd win. They would all win.

"He won't get away with this, Tippi. I promise."

/

"DAD IS GONNA DO WHAT?" O'Chunks roared.

He continued, letting out a string of expletives as Dimentio folded the papers back into the folder. L couldn't tell if he was disappointed in the Count, or happily surprised.

"It's all there," Dimentio whipped the folder back into the depths of his poncho. "He's gonna tear down all of Paper County. Right to the ground like a dissatisfied beaver."

"Does it say what he's gonna do with it?" Mimi asked in a voice much smaller than L was used to hearing.

Dimentio shook his head. "No. Nothing I could find. There was a small scrawl in one margin about an amusement park, but it was crossed out."

Mimi grew even quieter, leaving O'Chunks' cursing to be the only sound in the room. L knew what everyone was trying not to think of. Their friends. Their school. Everyone they knew would be gone. Booted out of their homes without so much as a warning.

On the other hand, though… There wouldn't be any more problems with the gangs Paper County was notorious for. The members of said gangs would be split up and scattered, with the leaders too far away to reorganize. Not to mention the dealers from the darkest parts of Flopside would be forced to start from scratch. It was a gamble, and a costly one at that, but if it was pulled off several crime rings would be out of the running.

"I think we should help him."

It wasn't until L looked up and saw everyone staring at him that he realized he'd said it out loud. He blushed a little and pulled off his hat.

"Look, I don't like the idea of shoving people out of their homes any more than you do, but when you think about it, this could be the best way to get rid of all those gangs, of all the people that do whatever they want here. If we boot them all out at once, they'd be forced too far apart to reform.

"And after all, we don't know what he's planning! Maybe he's gonna build the city over again, from the ground up. You know, give it a fresh start. After all, the mansion isn't going anywhere, is it?"

He glanced at Dimentio, who shook his head.

"All I'm saying is, he's never been wrong before. And if he was, Nassy would kick him halfway to kingdom come. So maybe… we should trust him, ask him and help him." L wrung his hat nervously, hoping desperately he'd gotten the point across.

"'Ow can we be 'ure Nassy is in on it?" O'Chunks asked.

Mimi snorted. "Like Papa Count would be able to do anything without her, let alone hide anything from her."

This earned a hesitant chuckle all around. It lightened the mood considerably, even if the air was still heavy.

"Listen," L near-whispered. "I'm not going to ask any of you to do this with me, and I'll understand if you don't. But I think this is something that will pay off, one way or the next."

A long pause followed.

"I'm in."

Dimentio said it so quickly L wasn't completely sure if he'd heard him. But when his head raised with his trademark 'mischievous grin' on his lips L knew he hadn't imagined anything.

"KB and company may hate me afterwards, but they can always find a new haunt." Dimentio chuckled. "And while I wouldn't say I trust our fair Count implicitly, I _do_ trust your good golden heart, Ellie-poo."

L narrowed his eyes. It was entirely likely Dimentio just wanted to mess with everyone in town in one go, or that he had something else up his sleeve, but at this point, L wasn't going to refuse the support.

"Okay." He nodded slowly. "I'll take it. Anyone else?"

O'Chunks raised a hand slowly. "I may not be 'ery bright, but 'am loyal to the Count and to you lot. S' Count me in."

L nodded and tried very hard not to look at Mimi. He desperately didn't want to put her on the spot.

"I'm in too." She piped up, startling L.

"Mimi, you don't have to- "

She snorted at L's attempt. "Yeah right. I can kick all three of you around the block if need be. If I don't help out, who's gonna keep you dummies in line?"

L grinned at his siblings. In that moment, he felt a surge of affection and trust for them. He felt he could go into battle with them behind him and it wouldn't matter how big the enemies' numbers, they'd win. Because they had each other's backs.

"Alright." L stood, placing his hat firmly on his head. "Let's go talk to Count Papa."

The man himself had only just noticed the missing file. He was running back to his desk, ready to call Nastasia asking where it was when his office door slammed open. His children were on the other side, Dimentio at the head. A face-cracking grin adorned his lips, which was never a good sign.

 _Oh dear._

The Count settled back into his chair as Dimentio sauntered in, Mimi, O'Chunks, and L a few steps behind him. The others seemed a bit more reserved and hesitant than their brother, but there was something off. Something that said their reason for coming would keep them here until they got their way.

"Well, well, well County dear!" Dimentio began, sitting on Bluemire's desk. "I have to say of all the things I've come to expect from you, _this_ was most certainly not on that list."

"What are you-"

"I mean you've done some pretty bad things in the name of real-estate before, but then again who hasn't? This though? This takes more cake than ants at an outdoor wedding!"

"Dimentio I-"

"Of course, it involves a lot of risk, doesn't it? But if it pays off, well- "

"Dimentio!" Count Bleck slammed his hands into his desk. "What _are_ you talking about?"

The would-be magician didn't falter, in fact he'd hardly blinked. He pulled a thick manila folder out of his poncho, seemingly from nowhere, and rested it gently on the desk beside him.

"Why, only this dear Count." He smiled.

Skeptically, Bluemire looked down at the file. The words on top of it, written in his own hand, froze his heart, as well as any possible counters he might have come up with. _Paper County Development Plan- Outline_.

He swallowed hard. "How did you find this? It was in Count Bleck's personal files, how- "

Dimentio shushed him. "Don't worry about that, County dearest, after all it hardly matters now. We saw it, we got it, we read it. And now it's in the past, which hardly makes it worth worrying about. For now," the fifteen-year-old hopped off the desk only to lean over it, going so far he was nearly in the Count's face. "The important thing is what we're going to do about it."

Bluemire regarded him nervously. "If you wish for me to stop it, I'm afraid- "

"Oh, heavens no!" Dimentio laughed. It was a strange sort of laugh where you couldn't tell if he was faking it or if it was genuine. "No, no, nonononono. Non. See, we talked it all over and the thing is County dear…"

He leaned in even closer until his lips were alongside Bluemire's ear. "We want in."

He pulled back suddenly, as if he'd never been so close at all, an astonished Count in his wake.

"You… what?" The Count stammered.

"Just what he said." L explained, speaking up for the first time. "We all talked about it and well, we want to help. It's not a lot but I figured even just knowing you have our support would be good for you."

"'EAH! You 'ave ma _chunks_ , too, Count." O'Chunks beamed.

"And my strength." Mimi smiled.

"And my intellect." Dimentio crooned.

"And my… heart. I guess." L finished lamely.

Count Bleck regarded them again, with new eyes. His children. They could be called no less. Though he'd not created them, he had molded them, crafted them subtly until they had become… this. True, it was doubtful they truly knew what they were agreeing to, but there was enough in that file to guess they at least knew what it would it would do to the neighborhood, or lack thereof. They were offering to tear apart their hometown based on little more than trust.

His face split into a grin rivaling Dimentio's. "Very well. Count Bleck accepts your help. Keep in mind though, it will not be easy."

All four of them grinned up at him.

Dimentio splayed himself across the desk again, smirking. "Challenge accepted."

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 _ **Hey-o! Look at that, an actual plot! How did that happen, ha-ha!**_

 _ **In other news, this will be the first in a series, but I'm not sure how much the series will include nor how often they will come out. I did consider splicing them into a separate fic, but I'm not sure on how well that would be received. Still working on some other chapters and stuff so it's not dead, yay!**_

 _ **Still accepting prompts though, so feel free to give those over if you've got 'em. ~Ciao!**_


	20. Chapter 20 Let's Talk

"Hey guys? Do you ever wonder what are parents were like? Like, out birth parents?"

Silence permeated the card table at L's question. Mimi awkwardly shuffled her hand of cards while O'Chunks stared at his intently. Finally, Dimentio pressed his hands into the table.

"Why should we?" He questioned. "Either they gave us up or they're dead. There isn't a lot to wonder. Let alone care about."

"Yeah," L pressed. "But I wonder sometimes what they must have been like. I mean… They must have had their reasons, right?"

Dimentio shrugged. "…I guess so."

Mimi swallowed. "Mine died. I know that much. Even if I was too little to remember them I know that. All I can remember of… before, is flashes of skirts, the twisting of ankles and then… death. More death and dirt than I've seen since."

O'Chunks put a hand on her shoulder. "Ah know 'ow you feel. I don't really 'member ma folks 'ither, even though ah was ol'er. My ol' sh'ink said I was… repressing it or somthin, ah dunno. Bu' I know this. Me mum died, and me da went crazy. I woke up one morn'n and both he an' me lil sister were gone. I still dunno what happened. But ah like to think that, were she alive, ma baby sis 'ould be happy 'ere."

A fond smile graced O'Chunks face and another silence filled the room, this one thicker than O'Chunks arms. L could practically cut it.

"I wonder if my family would be proud," He wondered aloud, chattering the awkward silence. "And as much as I'd like to think they died, I'm nearly sure they gave me up. After all, who'd want a kid who can't remember his name half the time?"

He laughed humorlessly. "Still, I have to wonder what would happen if they could see me now."

Mimi patted his arm. "I think they'd regret ever leaving you."

L flashed her a grateful smile.

"I daydream about my mom."

All heads turned to Dimentio, who was currently addressing the cards he was intently shuffling.

"She's all I remember from… I used to have fantasies where she'd come back and take me away from everything. The orphanage, the foster homes. Now I just imagine what she might say about everything I do. She's always proud of me. Always smiling. In my dreams, I have no doubt she loves me.

"And then I wake up and realize the reality is that I was given away. No thought, and I'm sure very little regret. I'm her reject. Plain and simple."

A long pause followed that statement, no one knowing quite what to say.

"We're all rejects," Mimi whispered. "That's what orphans are, isn't it? The scraps no one wants."

"Not te the Count," O'Chunks protested. "He likes us."

"Yes, but we could have been anyone," Dimentio sneered. "We all know how tender-hearted the old man is, he would have taken in any four kids who asked. That doesn't make us special. It only makes us lucky."

"Maybe so," L argued. "But fate chose the four of us for him to take in. There's got to be a reason!"

"Oh please," Dimentio was scowling now. "I stopped believing in fate when my mother dropped me on a doorstep."

For a solid five minutes the only sound in the game room was Dimentio's shuffling cards, each child buried in their thoughts. Suddenly, L spoke again, trying to diffuse the rift he'd caused.

"I don't think it matters, really. You were right the first time, Dims, they either gave us up or died on us. Speculation won't do anything really. The Count is our dad now, and yeah, we could have been anyone, but we weren't. We were us. And the Count… he took us in. Rejects though we are.

"Our birth parents aren't here anymore. For whatever reason, we aren't theirs anymore. But we are _his_. And maybe that doesn't mean anything in the grand, universal scheme, but… well it means something to me."

He shrugged, feeling awkward for having brought it up at all. He felt a little bit sorry for having mentioned it, but having watched Annie the previous night filled him with an odd mix of curiosity and nostalgia.

"It means something to me." Mimi muttered. "It's a little silly, but I'd rather have the Count than anyone else for a dad."

"Same 'ere," O'Chunks agreed. "Me ol' dad was rotten. The Count is a step up, trus' me."

L glanced at Dimentio, trying not to pressure him into answering. Unfortunately, he got caught.

"Am I supposed to agree now?" The junior magician raised an eyebrow at them. "Well I'm horribly sorry to disappoint but as of yet I do not think of the Count as my father. It'd break his heart if I told him that but it's the honest truth. I'd rather daydream about my mom then be pitied by an old sap like him."

With that, Dimentio dropped his cards and left the room, a clouded, unreadable mask on his face.

L desperately wanted to go after him but he could dense his need to blow off steam.

"I don't think he means it." Mimi reassured him. "He'll be back and say he was wrong. You know him. Has to give everyone a different face, and has one for every occasion. He'll be back."

"I hope so, Mimi," L stared out the door. "I really hope so."

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Dimentio did not pout or cry, _ever_ , unless it was to pull someone's strings and get what he wanted, and even that was used sparingly. So, when Nastasia found him underneath a thick willow tree in the garden she was surprised to see him glaring at the trunk, tear tracks on his face.

Quietly, she moved the branches aside and sat next to him. He didn't say anything, or even acknowledge her, but some internal instinct told her he'd heard her come up.

"So…" She started lamely. "Just how interesting is that tree?"

Dimentio glared harder at the trunk.

"Wow. That cool, huh? Well, I'll just have to watch it myself to see if can see what you are, kay?"

"Why are you here?" the boy asked after some time had passed.

"I'm looking at the tree, same as you."

"Liar!" He snapped. "The Count sent you, didn't he? L must have tattled and the busy nobleman sent his lackey to collect me."

"To clarify, is this the same nobleman who's spending a week in Overthere trying to close a deal?" Nastasia inquired.

Dimentio scowled at the bark, and let the silence settle over them again.

"I don't want the Count to be my only parent."

"What do you mean?"

"WHAT I SAID!" he snapped. "All of them were talking about how our old parents didn't matter because ' _we have the Count now_.' Sharing their memories of what they used to have. Well maybe, just maybe, not everyone is okay with brushing all of that off to the side! Maybe some of us would pay anything to have memories, even the glimpses that the others have. A _hint_ of who we used to have. Of who used to have _us._ And yeah, I helped them realize they have it good here. It's better for them if they move on, better for me too, if they stop clinging to the past like a fly to does to a wall! So I nudged them the right way. And yeah, maybe we _weren't_ something anyone else wanted, but all I want is to have KNOWN HER. Just once!"

The tears were streaming freely now, but Dimentio hardly noticed. He was too filled with emotions, red and blue and hot and passionate, filling him up until there was only screaming in his head. And it was far too late to stop that screaming from pouring out.

"I have a picture so I see her I my head _all the time!_ But she has no voice because I've never heard it. She has no personality, because I've never seen it! Who abandons a child with a photo of themselves tucked in the blankets? I know I wouldn't because this? Seeing her ghost, her afterimage? It's little less than _torture_. My own personal hell. It's… It drives me _mad_. It's not-"

His throat constricted suddenly, cutting him off. Hot tears poured down his face and he dimly registered that Nastasia had picked him up at some point. He gathered the fabric of her dress shirt in his fists and curled deeper into her lap.

"I just want to meet her- know her," He choked. "Just once. Just once…"

Nastasia stroked his back gently. "You're too young for this, you know. Not for these feelings, but these experiences. No one in this or any world should have had to go through what you kids have gone through. Let alone when you're so young. And you're right, it isn't fair. But I'll let you in on a secret about adoption, kay?"

He sniffled. "Wha-What?"

"It's a choice. Not the choice of the kids, not the choice of anyone who gave you life originally, but the choice of the one who took you in and made you his own. It was entirely his choice and he made it without a second thought. Could you have been any kid at all? Maybe so. But I think you were given this chance because you were needed. Not because of how much you needed the Count, or this family, but because of how much this family needed you."

Dimentio felt a fresh wave of tears course down his cheeks, but he was far past the point of caring. He stayed there a long time, letting Nastasia hold him as, for the first time, he let down his mask.

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Across the city, unbeknownst to the pair under the tree, a young woman felt her heart lurch. She placed a hand over it in concern. If she hadn't known better, she'd say her soulmate was in trouble. But, of course, she did know better, so she merely questioned the feeling, which had come on so suddenly and yet, even now, was slowly calming down.

"Tippi? Are you alright my dear?" Merlon asked.

"Oh, yes," She nodded. "I think I'll be alright. Just had a strange feeling, that's all."

 _If it was some kind of soulmate,_ she thought against her better judgement, _I hope they're alright. Wherever they are._

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 _ **I wrote this at three in the morning last night and spent half an hour editing it. I honestly have no idea where the idea came from, but hey! Development for Dimmy and Nassy! And some Tippi on the side.**_

 _ **I have another chapter almost done after this one, so I should update fairly soon. But that aside, does anyone have ideas on what the kiddos would call the Count? Like nicknames and such? I need a lot of them for what I have planned, but I'm having trouble creating them. They can have as much or as little context as you like, but please, keep it PG. This may be rated T, but I don't wanna see that kinda thing.**_


	21. Chapter 21 Chatty Tonight, Aren't We?

One of L's favorite things about his room was the balcony. He'd long since hidden the entrance (it was the first thing he'd built) so it afforded him a good deal of privacy. And once he'd added a decent roof and some cushions on every inch of it, it became the perfect spot to hide, and think, and to dream. His favorite place in the house.

It was where he went after Dimentio had stormed out of the game room. After he'd posed the question that burned in his head to his siblings.

He hadn't expected Dimentio to act that way. He knew parents were a… sensitive topic for everyone, but for Dimentio to outright storm out of the room? Needless to say, it was a little… much.

All L had wanted to know was if they felt the same way he did. If they wondered…

Well, it hardly mattered now. They'd all said their piece, though it wasn't quite what he'd meant. And now he knew never to bring it up again.

He exhaled and looked up at the stars, thankful it wasn't raining. He had a father now, he'd meant that, and Nastasia, who was kind of like a mom, or an aunt. Not to mention his three… colorful siblings. So why did he feel so… incomplete? As if he was missing someone?

"L?"

His head snapped to the door, a one-sided glass panel, to see who'd called him. Mimi. She'd entered and was cautiously glancing around for him.

"L? If you've got some kind of hiding place… Well... I just wanna talk for a bit." She paused. "Are you even in here?"

He stuck his head out the door. "Yes."

Mimi started and jumped back, hand grabbing at her chest. "Sweet rubees, you scared the bejeebers out of me!"

"Yeah. I have that effect on people." L chuckled.

Mimi rolled her eyes. "Uh-huh. Anyways, I wanted to talk to you about what happened in the game room."

"Listen," L started. "I didn't mean to start a fight, I was only curious if- well I only wanted to know- and now I do! So, case closed, I won't bring it up again, I promise."

Mimi frowned. "No, that's not what I meant. All I wanted to ask was… why did you want to know?"

L stared for a long moment, briefly considering lying to her. It'd be easy and far simpler. Brush it off as mere curiosity and move on. Move on with that burning question stuck in his head forever.

He slowly sunk onto his bed, patting the space next to him to invite Mimi to sit too. She did, tilting her head curiously at his solemnness.

He took a deep breath. "My memory comes and goes. I have flashes where I can't remember anything beyond a couple seconds ago. Then there's times where I can't remember anything after the Count adopted me. Most of the time I can't remember anything before.

"One thing never changes though. No matter what kind of flash I'm having I always see a flash of a red hat, blue eyes beneath. And I have to wonder who they belong to. Not my father, I don't think so anyway. The eyes are too young and the hat too small. My brother, I think.

"I wonder what he's like, is all. If he likes robots and machinery like I do, or if he's torturing himself as a poet. I wonder… how things might have been different. If maybe… he's looking for me."

Mimi patted his hand sympathetically. "Believe it or not I understand. I kinda lied when we were talking earlier. I remember a lot more than I told you guys." She laughed weakly. "Still isn't that much though. I remember my sisters dancing, and I remember them spending every last penny they had on getting me a vaccine. But mostly I remember the dirt under my fingernails as- well… you get the idea."

She trailed off and L gently squeezed her hand. "I'm sorry."

She sniffed. "Doesn't matter anymore. The dead are dead. Mostly though, when I think of them, I think of how happy they'd be for me now. I was the youngest, and they always wanted the best for me. Now I have it. And I have a brother for every sister I lost."

A quiet silence gripped the room for a long moment. L was speechless. There she went again, taking everyone by surprise and throwing their expectations out the window. He hadn't expected her to be that… broken. Twisted inside and hurting so much until the only way to find comfort was to slowly try and undo the knots. On her own.

He grabbed her suddenly, pulling her into a tight hug. "We're a matched set, you and me. I don't have enough memories and you have too many. But I promise you, Mimi. As long I live, I'm never going to leave you. Not for my brother, not for anyone else. And you can't leave me either, okay?"

He felt a small wet spot spread on his shoulder as she gripped him back.

"Deal." She choked out.

They stayed like that for thirty minutes before their muscles started to cramp. After that L took her out to his balcony and they stargazed the rest of the night, talking about all they remembered and all they wished they could. Until they fell asleep on top of each other, arm in arm and more emotionally at peace than either one had been in a long time.

 _I was gonna go back into light-hearted stuff after that last chapter, but it felt kinda unfinished to me. So here's a part two. I know it's not as good as the last one, but I felt like I needed to flesh Mimi's backstory a little. O'Chucks will probably get something like this later, but it's hard to come clean when you were the only one being honest. :T_

 ** _On that note; More light-hearted stuff next update, I promise. And, like last time, if you have ideas for nicknames the kids would call Count Bleck, don't hesitate to tell me. ;)_**

 ** _Ciao~_**


	22. Chapter 22 The Paint of Revenge

It was finally time for vengeance.

Ever since the Great Prank War Mimi had been searching for a way to get back at the boys. While it wasn't hard to prank her brothers, it had been difficult to find one that not only effected all of them at once while leaving Nassy and Count Papa out of it, but lasted long enough that they couldn't just shrug it off and move on. It had taken a while, but she'd finally found the perfect one.

Luvbi had given her the idea. A month after the G.P.W the ballerina had come to class with both her hair and nails turned a bright shade of pink. When questioned, Luvbi told her the nails were acrylic, and that the dye was only temporary. That was when Mimi got hit with her brilliant idea.

She'd started enacting it at after-dinner tea, slipping a small amount of Craze-e Daze-e Sleep potion into the tea. It wasn't enough to keep anyone asleep longer than the whole night, but it would keep everyone from waking up while she worked. Craze-e Daze-e was strong, but safe. They'd sleep and stay asleep.

Careful not to drink any herself, she watched as everyone started yawning. Grinning slightly to herself, she gave the Count her most innocent look.

"Golly, everyone sure seems tired tonight," She exclaimed.

Count Bleck yawned and sent her a thin smile. "You seem to be right, Mimi, affirmed Count Bleck. Perhaps Count Bleck and family should retire for the evening."

She pretended to pout. "But County! I was going to watch the new," she faked a yawn. "Bedazzled Pirate's Cove episode."

Bleck gave her a stern look. "Mimi, you are a growing girl who needs her sleep, Count Bleck reprimanded. You will go to bed like the rest of us and that's final."

She pouted the rest of tea, though she was surprised none of the boys had protested. She glanced over to the couch they were sitting on and held back a laugh. They were nearly asleep already! Dimentio was draped over the other two, a surprising feat given his small stature. L was leaning on O'Chunks, who'd thrown his head back and was starting to drool.

If it hadn't given her away, Mimi would have asked for a camera. Ah well, she'd have one tomorrow.

The Count gestured to Nastasia and the secretary shook herself awake. She walked over to the boys and gently shook them, telling them to get to bed. Again, none of them protested. The Count bid all of them goodnight and started heading to his own room, Nastasia followed suit and headed to hers.

Time for action.

She poked her head out of her room cautiously, she wasn't an idiot after all. Just because everyone was on a sleeping potion didn't mean she would get cocky.

Satisfied that no one was there, she stepped out, her wagon of supplies rolling out behind her. A wicked grin graced her face.

Time for revenge.

One plus of living in an expansive mansion was that everyone had their own bathroom adjoined to their rooms. So everyone was spared bumbling around the dark castle first thing in the morning in order to brush their teeth.

Another plus was that it carried sound very well. So, when each of her brothers woke up and looked in the mirror, half awake, Mimi was delightfully greeted by the sound of their horrified screams.

Smirking, she sipped her orange juice, hearing one high scream, probably Dimentio, followed shortly by a baritone, which was probably L, a bit of stomping around before a deep yell nearly shook the house. She giggled. This was too rich.

All three of them came bumbling into the dining room a minute later, still in disarray with their pajamas crumpled and multiple cow licks in their hair. Speaking of their hair…

Each boy had gotten his hair dyed in the middle of the night, as well as a matching acrylic manicure. O'Chunks was sporting a bold pink, with matching neon nails, each adorned with a tiny bow. L seemed to have sapped all the red from O'Chunks usual russet brown and dipped his head in the pure tomato color. His nails were likewise bright red, though at the last minute she'd given him white candy stripes in addition. Dimentio, lover of bright colors though he was, had forgone color altogether. His hair was snow white, his nails alternating between the same pure absense and a black darker than the mansion's marble.

Mimi snorted. She was desperately trying not to laugh in their faces, but it was becoming increasingly difficult.

She decided to feign ignorance as long as possible. "What happened to all of you?"

Dimentio narrowed his eyes. "Why don't you tell us?"

Mimi took another sip of her orange juice. "I don't know what you're talking about."

L scoffed. "Oh please. Every one of us wakes up with a makeover we can't undo and you're untouched? I don't think so Miss I'm-Always-So-Innocent-So-Don't-Hate-Me."

"Maybe the culprit didn't know where I sleep," She suggested. "It is in the other wing, you know."

Dimentio rolled his eyes. "Yeah right, the jig is as up as a balloon let go by a toddler. Give it up."

She returned her gaze, ready to stare them down in a battle of will, when Count Bleck walked through the door.

The children watched him as he, in a half-awake daze, poured his coffee and sat down next to Mimi. After his second sip, he finally caught sight of the boys. He exclaimed "Sweet Mercy!" and loudly fell back in his chair, hitting the ground with a solid thud.

Mimi finally cracked, snorting again and letting it blossom into full-blown laughter. The boys started yelling at her to fix it, but she was too far gone, nearly on the ground with the Count from her laughter.

After a solid minute, she found the breath to wink at them and say "Gotcha!" before collapsing into another round of giggles.

 ** _BACKSTORY TIME!!!! So for most of my life I have had the shortest of nails, mostly due to chewing them off of they substantially passed my fingertips. With that in mind… The other day my older sister took me to the nail salon and through a trio of gross misunderstandings I ended up with acrylic nails quite a bit longer than anything I've had before. So I decided to inflict my struggle on the guys._**

 ** _There were a bunch more things planned out but I couldn't fit it all in so here's some bonus content, I guess? More like fun after-the-facts_**.

The guys end up getting back at Mimi the same way by turning her hair green and painting her nails in rainbow colors. Unfortunately for them, she owns it. She even decided to keep her hair green. ;) ;)

O'Chunks gets his nails torn off when he went to do his morning exercises. It wasn't pretty, but at least he didn't suffer long. The pink hair stayed about a month.

L suffered the most with the nails, seeing as he couldn't grip his tools correctly. He nearly tore them off himself, but after watching O'Chunks suffer he decided to just wait it out. Eventually he learned how to live with it.

It was from this incident we learned red was not L's color.

Dimentio actually rocked everything. Once he got used to the length of the nails (which took, like, a day) he made everyone else look bad compared to his fluency with them. Like Mimi, he eventually decided the hair color suit him and decided to keep it, though he occasionally swapped it out for black, and even more occasionally for a half and half mixture.

How Mimi bleached their hair AND dried their nails in the span of one night without them waking up is anyone's guess.

 ** _So yeah. That's that. ((If someone wants to draw scenes from this for this less than talented soul I'd be forever in your debt and I'd probably give you a sneak peek at the finale. ;) ;) just a thought~))_**

 ** _Anyways, until next time! Ciao~_**


	23. Chapter 23 By Any Other Name

Names the kids have called Count Blumiere Bleck, in no particular order:

Count

County (Often with additional "dearest" added on)

Count Papa

Papa Count

Blue

Blumi

Mr. Sour Britches

Gus the Grump

Soft Shelled Sebastian

Aquaman (don't ask)

Big Dumb Meanie Pants

Count Blep

Bleckles

Count Boop

Count Broke

Sad Sack

Nutcracker (again, refrain from questioning)

And his favorite: Papa

[Please note that in order to qualify for this list the name must persist for at least a week total,

and at the hand of anyone who is not Dimentio.]

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 _ **I'm running a little dry, so take whatever this is. XP**_


	24. Chapter 24 L's Birthday Meal

March 16th had never been a big day in the Bleck household. L had never really liked a big fuss for his birthday, preferring a family dinner and a movie of his choice to any kind of party. Low-key. Just like L himself.

This year, though, this was going to be the best birthday he'd ever had, even if Count Bleck had to climb mountains to make it so.

First on the list: Figure out his favorite food for the dinner. For the past 14 years they'd had penne with marina sauce. It was the first thing Saffron had taught L to cook, so everyone had assumed it was the boy's favorite, but when the Count mentioned it...

"Huh? That's not my favorite." L cocked an eyebrow.

The Count's own brows furrowed. "But I thought… You make it all the time."

"Well yeah," L chuckled. "But that's cause everyone else likes it."

Count Bleck blinked. "Well, what is your fav-"

L's head snapped away, having heard his name called.

"Sorry Papa, I have to head out now." He apologized. "Daisy needs help with her geometry, I'll talk with you later!"

He ran off, leaving the Count to awkwardly wave after him, a question still on his lips.

Well, if L couldn't tell him, he'd have to find out himself. It'd probably make a better surprise anyway.

Saffron was the most obvious one to know. After all, she made everything they ate and could probably poison them all if she had half a mind to. If anyone knew what each of them liked to eat most it'd be her.

"Little L's favorite dish?" she asked in confirmation. At the Count's nod her brow furrowed. "Well I can't say I rightly know, sugar. He likes making a lot of Italian dishes, pasta and the like, but I don't reckon I know what he likes to eat."

The portly woman smiled fondly, recalling a memory of a little twelve-year-old asking what she'd put in the tomato soup to make it spicy.

"He always was a special one, your boy." She continued. "Once he got a handle on spices he could tell what I'd used just by licking it. He has a taste for the finer foods, but isn't afraid to humble himself down for what's homemade and cheap.

"Not bad to look at either!" She chortled. "Yessir you got yourself a fine boy there, sugar. Don't reckon I've ever told you that, but it's the truth."

Bleck smiled fondly. "Believe me. I know."

The cook brushed some spare flour off her hands. "Listen, don't give up hope just yet. Maybe one of the other kids knows what his favorite food is."

Count Bleck nodded. "Count Bleck is certainly going to try."

And try he did. With Mimi, who didn't know, but recalled that L would always make her comfort food after a bad breakup, and O'Chunks, who only remembered the time he dared L to eat a sandwich made of leftovers. And the subsequent salmonella. All three of them had agreed Dimentio was the least likely to know.

The boy had kept everyone at arm's length after a recent argument with pretty much everyone who lived in the house. The only ones he'd really talk to were his friends Antasma and K.B. Even if he knew, it was unlikely he'd be willing to share. So off the list he went.

Mimi suggested asking Peasley or Daisy. They were some of his best friends so surely they' know. Cue a Count who is horrible with technology trying to track down the phone numbers of a bunch of teenagers. All of which Nastasia gave to him when she found him knee-deep in phone books an hour later.

"Thank you…" He blushed, highly embarrassed at both all his own ineptness and that he'd been caught being inept.

"How did you get all of these?" He asked.

"I make sure I know the numbers of everyone the children contact." She informed him crisply.

"O-Oh," The Count stuttered. "How… proactive.

"Speaking of the children, by any chance do you know what L's favorite food is?"

Nastasia shrugged. "Can't say I do. I know he likes to cook, though. Remember how he begged you to let Saffron teach him how?"

Count Bleck chuckled. "He's the only one who is punished by staying out of the kitchen."

The both smiled. "Go ahead and ask his friends." Nastasia urged. "Make sure you text Daisy rather than call her, it needs to be a surprise, after all. I… Let me know if you need any help."

She left him to contact the teens, and to wonder what a text was.

Count Bleck: Ms. Daisy? Hello, this is Count Bleck, L's father?

Daisy: Hey-o, Mr. Count! What can I help you with?

CB: Please, Count or Mr. Bleck. Not this strange combination.

D: No promises. *3*

D: So did you track down my number to discuss nicknames or is there a reason for this?

CB: Actually, it is not the reason.

CB: L's birthday is approaching fast and I wish to make him a special dinner. Do you happen to know his favorite dish?

D: I can't say I do. \\_(ツ)/ We don't talk about his food in study sessions.

D: Mostly we get takeout or go to Dyllis'.

D: Tho…

D: There was one point when he saw how little I have in my fridge (poor transfer student, lol). He stopped our studying and marched out to get me "real food." XD We spent the rest of the night with him showing me how to make good, cheap food.

CB: That sounds like him.

CB: Thank you kindly for your time.

CB: One last thing, however. What are those little faces you keep using?

D: Hoo-boy! Mr. Bleck do I have some things for you! :)

CB: Oh dear…

Count Bleck: Hello, young Peasley! :D I have a question to ask of you.

Peasley: Wow, Pops. You type like an old grandpa.

CB: I resent that remark. :(

P: Lol.

P: So what do you need?

CB: Paste

P: What?

CB: Paste

P: You need glue???

CB: Do not be silly, I am trying to put a message I said earlier in the chat box so I do not have to type it again.

CB: Paste

CB: I do not think it is working.

P: X"D You mean you're trying to paste it in?

CB: Yes, obviously.

CB: PASTE

P: Nonono. Mr.B, you're supposed to hold down on the word, like you did when you copied it.

CB: Ah! I see.:D Hold a moment.

CB: L's birthday is approaching fast and I wish to make him a special dinner. Do you happen to know his favorite dish?

CB: :D :D!

P: Good job!

P: As for the question, I'm afraid I don't know. / L and I have an agreement not to talk about food since we argued over beans that one time.

CB: What?

P: Don't ask.

CB: I see. ).)

CB: Well I am not going to keep you any longer. Thank you for your help.

P: Anytime! Good luck!

CB: Many thanks.

Count Bleck: Is this Mario? I am Count Bleck, L's father.

Mario: Oh! Urm… hello. What can I help you with?

CB: I simply have a question for you. :)

M: Okie Dokie. Shoot.

CB: L's birthday is coming up and I was wondering if you happened to know what his favorite food was?

M: Oh, um…

M: No I don't think I do.

M: I mean we talk about pasta a lot, and it's nice to have someone who gets it,

M: But I don't think I've ever heard him say one or another is his favorite.

M: Sorry. :(

CB: Oh it's quite alright. You are not the first I have asked. :)

CB: Though, I must admit, you are the last on my list…

CB: Do you know of anyone else I may ask?

M: Mmmm, none come to mind???

M: I assume you've talked to Daisy and Peasley?

CB: Of course.

M: Sorry. That's the only friends I know of. :(

M: L's a bit of an introvert, lol.

CB: It is fine, I assure you. :)

CB: Thank you for your time.

M: Uh… no prob!

M: Bye.

Count Bleck sighed and set his phone to the side. Did L truly keep things so close to his chest that no one even knew his favorite food?

Perhaps he was at fault. After all, he'd never asked. He had only assumed. It was just like the pesto incident all over again. No matter how hard he tried, it seemed like he just wasn't as good a parent as he strived to be. What kind of father didn't even know his son's favorite food?

"Well, you look as despondent as a General at the Battle of Monmenth."

The Count whirled in his chair to face the Dimentio. He was leaning against the doorframe, looking thoroughly disinterested in everything surrounding him.

Count Bleck eyed him cautiously. "What is it you are here for?"

Dimentio shrugged. "I was merely passing by and saw you in distress. I wanted to know what was causing such frown lines." So, that I might increase them, he implied silently.

"If you must know," The Count rolled his eyes. "I am trying to find L's favorite food as a surprise for his birthday."

Dimentio blinked. "Is that all?"

Bleck furrowed his brow. "Well, yes. But it has been extremely difficult. No one seems to know what it is."

It was Dimentio's turn for an eyeroll. "Duh. It's fettuccini alfredo. Chicken on the side. Lots of garlic."

With that bomb dropped, Dimentio breezed out of the Count's study, dutifully ignoring the Count's jaw hitting the floor.

I have no idea how to end this so just have it as is, I guess. ;;

You probably don't know this, but my own birthday is today (or, if I don't post this on time, March 17th)! So to celebrate I wrote a lil fic for my green son. :3 I got the idea from an Undertale ask blog so I guess it's not really birthday related per-say, but kinda like L is here I like to keep things pretty low-key. So… TA-DA! Enjoy~


	25. Chapter 25 A Glimpse of the Future

Blumeire was stirred from his sleep by the smell of bacon and eggs. Groggily, he sat up, noting the empty space by him as he rubbed his eyes. He shoved slippers on his feet, blearily setting out to look for the smell's source.

Someone who was definitely not Saffron was busting themselves making a very simple, but welcome breakfast.

Blumeire walked up and gently grabbed Timpani around the waist as she stirred the eggs. She laughed gently.

"Sleep well?"

"No talk." He chastised lightly. "Still sleeping."

She laughed again. "Well you better wake up soon. The eggs are almost ready."

Begrudgingly, he let her go and trudged to the bar stools.

"Why are you cooking, anyway? Did Saffron have the day off?"

She shrugged, grabbing a plate.

"I woke up early and figured I would make breakfast. And I already called to tell her to sleep in- or well, Nastasia did. But I would have myself if I had her number."

She blushed lightly as she set the eggs in front of him. He smiled to show her he understood.

They'd been married for two years now and she still insisted on not relying on servants for more than the bare minimum of what they'd been hired for. Though he understood her position on it, he was glad he'd worked her away from not relying on them at all.

He smiled at her again as he bit into the eggs.

"Not bad."

"Not bad?" She echoed.

He blinked. "Uh… yes?"

She scoffed. "You go and rave about Saffron's cooking, call her the best chef in the U.S, and my humble little breakfast gets a 'not bad.'"

He held his hands up in surrender. "Alright, alright! I apologize. They're wonderful, darling. Really."

She smiled and leaned over the island, planting a kiss on his temple.

"That's better."

They had exactly six more seconds of silence before loud poundings alerted them of their approaching children.

Dimentio was first down, grabbed a protein bar and ran for the door.

"Dimentio!" Timpani called after him.

He backed up slowly, turning on his heel to face her.

"Yes?"

"Forget something?"

He glanced down at himself, likely doing a mental check of everything in his backpack. He looked back up, confused.

"No?"

Timpani tapped her cheek and he groaned.

"Mom! Come on! You don't make O'Chunks or L do this."

"They do it voluntarily." She said diplomatically.

He rolled his eyes and gave her a quick peck.

"Okay, now I've really gotta go. Bye, see you after school!"

He raced back out the door, not giving either parent a chance to ask after the rush.

"He's just in a hurry cause he and K.B are prancing what's-his-name later." Luigi informed them as he walked into the kitchen. "Their other friend? I think the two of them are filling his locker with whipped cream or something."

Blumeire frowned. "And you?"

"I'm going to make sure they don't." Luigi laughed.

"Oh, by the way: Mario invited me over this weekend. Are you two okay with that?"

Timpani and Blumeire looked at each other and shrugged.

"It's fine."

"He is your brother, after all." Timpani reasoned.

Luigi' face lit up. "Thank you so much! You two are seriously the best! I'll see you after school!"

The couple chuckled before returning to their breakfast.

"You'd think joining Mimi in the drama club would be enough to keep that boy busy." Blumeire laughed.

"Hardly. You know our 'Mentio. He'll always find some way to make trouble."

They laughed.

"True enough. Speaking of drama, when is their performance?"

"April 23rd. Remember, because O'Chunks wrestling match is a week before?"

"Ah, yes." He nodded. "I don't really understand the sport myself, but he seems to enjoy himself."

Timpani nodded.

They are the rest of their breakfast in contented silence, then Timpani moved to clear the dishes.

"Let me." Blumeire told her.

"Oh! I can manage."

"Yes, but you made breakfast, so it's hardly fair of me to expect you to clean it up as well."

She smiled prettily, her eyes glittering. "No, I suppose not. Thank you."

He happily set about cleaning the dishes, glancing back at his wife, as if she'd leave if he didn't check.

Upon looking back at the dishes, though, he nearly jumped out of his skin. Dimentio was standing just outside of the window above the sink, just staring at him.

Blumeire caught his breath and smiled.

"Dimentio! What are you doing out there? I thought you were meeting a friend."

Dimentio blinked slowly.

Blumeire cleared his throat. "Uh… Dimentio?"

The child grinned slowly. "Come on, County Dearest. You know this isn't real."

Suddenly Dimentio was right next to him. He pointed to Timpani.

"She's dead. Or missing at least."

The Count's wife vanished suddenly, as if she'd been edited out of reality.

Next, he pointed to Luigi, who was on the stool next to where she had been, surrounded by his siblings.

"He doesn't even remember who Mario is anymore. Let alone stays over for the weekend."

The brightness left L's eyes, replaced by a questioning as he was sucked away by a growing void under his feet.

Dimentio pointed to O'Chunks.

"While wrestling would be great, we all know that's far too complex and rule riddled for this brute of an older brother."

O'Chunks arms were littered with scars, his knuckles bandaged and bloody. He too, was sucked away, a bandage ripping free of his face.

Dimentio's finger found Mimi.

"Theater is such an innocent thing. Such a simple desire. But alas, she confines her skills to the internet, where people well beyond the target audience see it. Who knows who's hit on her online. Sent death threats. Other such things."

Mimi's round face slowly lost its innocence, thinning out and becoming the haunted face that belonged more on a woman who'd seen war.

She was sucked down, face growing ever older.

Dimentio pointed at himself, the growing void creeping ever closer to the two.

"Me? I'm planning far more than filling a locker with cream. You wish you knew what was in my head!" He crowed

They both dropped, falling into the hole and being entrenched by the lack of anything.

"And you?" Dimentio jabbed his finger into the Count's chest.

"You're so lost in your own self regrets you ingnore all warnings your given. Blindly following what your superior tells you. You might as well be part of this void for all the light your soul contains."

Blumeire felt himself melt away until he was only a pair of blinking eyes staring out of the walls hoping that all of this was-

Count Bleck bolted upright in bed, sweat pouring from his forehead, nose greeted with the smell of bacon and eggs. Shaken, he rubbed his eyes, hoping to also run away the effects of the nightmare.

He shoved slippers on his feet and started trudging down the stairs, seeking out the source of the scent.

L's head bobbed as he moved through the kitchen, making breakfast, as well as slapping some sandwiches together for his and his siblings' lunches.

His blue eyes caught sight of the Count in the doorway as he stirred the eggs.

"Oh, you're up! Saffron called in sick today so I thought I'd save us a buck and take over for the day. I can't be here for lunch, of course, but there's enough leftovers in the fridge to give you some options."

L smiled bashfully. "I wasn't sure what kind of sandwich you liked."

Count Bleck smiled. "It is fine, L. Count Bleck does not mind a cold lunch if you make a warm meal for dinner."

L beamed back. "Of course!"

His brow furrowed a little and he cocked his head. "Are you alright? You look kinda shaken."

The Count smiled thinly. "Count Bleck is fine. Just… just a dream."

Happy late April Fools Day. Hehe. I went out of town and this came to me in the car ride back. Typed it up as soon as I was able. Anyway, if you need me, I'll be hiding under my table from all your angry tears. :)


	26. Chapter 26 AN

Hey all, I wanted to apologize for not being as active as I used to be. A big part of that is life (I'm somehow a legal adult now) but another part is that I kinda lost the inspiration for fluff.

So instead of abandoning this entirely and/or turning it into angst, I think I'm going to create a separate fic in the same universe, but better follows the plot of SPM. This will follow Mario, Peach, Bowser, etc more than the villains, but hopefully it will be more cohesive as well.

I'm not going to end this fic just yet because... well I don't want to. I'm stubborn


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